Bioimpedance Measurements of Fibrotic and Acutely Injured Lung Tissues

Overview

Journal Acta Biomater

Publisher Elsevier

Date 2025 Jan 27

PMID 39870150

Authors

Mohammad Mir

Jiawen Chen

Aneri Patel

Meghan R Pinezich

Maria R Hudock

Alexander Yoon

Mohamed Diane

John ONeill

Matthew Bacchetta

Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic

Jinho Kim

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

In injured and diseased tissues, changes in molecular and cellular compositions, as well as tissue architecture, lead to alterations in both physiological and physical characteristics. Notably, the electrical properties of tissues, which can be characterized as bioelectrical impedance (bioimpedance), are closely linked to the health and pathological conditions of the tissues. This highlights the significant role of quantitatively characterizing these electrical properties in improving the accuracy and speed of diagnosis and prognosis. In this study, we investigate how diseases, injuries, and physical conditions can affect the electrical properties of lung tissues, using both rat and human lung tissue samples. Results showed that rat lung and trachea tissues exhibit a frequency-dependent behavior to alternating current (AC) across the frequency range of 0.1-300 kHz. The bioimpedance of the lung tissue increased with the level of aeration of the lung, which was manipulated by altering alveolar pressure (PALV: 1-15 cmH2O; bioimpedance level: 1.2-2.8 kΩ; AC frequency: 2 kHz). This increase is mainly because air is electrically nonconductive. The bioimpedance of rat lungs injured via intratracheal aspiration of hydrochloric acid (HCl; volume: 1 mL; AC frequency: 2 kHz) decreased by at least 82 % compared to that of healthy control lungs due to accumulation of fluids inside the airspace of the injured lungs. Moreover, using decellularized lung tissues, we determined the contributions of cellular components and tissue extracellular matrix (ECM) on the electrical characteristics of the lung tissues. Specifically, we observed a considerable increase in bioimpedance in fibrotic human lung tissues due to excessive ECM deposition (healthy: 70.8 Ω ± 10.2 Ω, fibrotic: 132.1 Ω ± 15.8 Ω, frequency: 2 kHz). Overall, the findings of this study can enhance our understanding of the correlation between electrical properties and pathological lung conditions, thereby improving diagnostic and prognostic capabilities and aiding in the treatment of lung diseases and injuries. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The bioelectrical properties of tissue are closely linked to both its physiological and physical characteristics. This underscores the importance of quantitatively characterizing these properties to improve the accuracy and speed of diagnosis and prognosis. In this study, we investigate how the bioelectrical properties of lung tissues are affected by different physical states and pathological conditions using rat and human lung tissues. As the burden of lung diseases continues to increase, our findings can contribute to improved treatment outcomes by enabling accurate and rapid assessment of lung tissue conditions.

References

Matute-Bello G, Frevert C, Martin T . Animal models of acute lung injury. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2008; 295(3):L379-99. PMC: 2536793. DOI: 10.1152/ajplung.00010.2008. View

Modelska K, Pittet J, Folkesson H, Broaddus V, Matthay M . Acid-induced lung injury. Protective effect of anti-interleukin-8 pretreatment on alveolar epithelial barrier function in rabbits. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1999; 160(5 Pt 1):1450-6. DOI: 10.1164/ajrccm.160.5.9901096. View

Adler A, AMYOT R, Guardo R, Bates J, Berthiaume Y . Monitoring changes in lung air and liquid volumes with electrical impedance tomography. J Appl Physiol (1985). 1998; 83(5):1762-7. DOI: 10.1152/jappl.1997.83.5.1762. View

Chung Y, Lee G, Kim H, Kim E . Effect of rigorous fluid management using monitoring of ECW ratio by bioelectrical impedance analysis in critically ill postoperative patients: A prospective, single-blind, randomized controlled study. Clin Nutr. 2024; 43(9):2164-2176. DOI: 10.1016/j.clnu.2024.07.040. View

Huang C, Lei K . Impedimetric quantification of migration speed of cancer cells migrating along a Matrigel-filled microchannel. Anal Chim Acta. 2020; 1121:67-73. DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2020.05.005. View

Paulson K, Pidcock M, McLeod C . A probe for organ impedance measurement. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng. 2004; 51(10):1838-44. DOI: 10.1109/TBME.2004.831518. View

Neira L, Mays R, Sawicki J, Schulman A, Harter J, Wilke L . A Pilot Study of the Impact of Microwave Ablation on the Dielectric Properties of Breast Tissue. Sensors (Basel). 2020; 20(19). PMC: 7583923. DOI: 10.3390/s20195698. View

Xiao C, Lachance B, Sunahara G, Luong J . An in-depth analysis of electric cell-substrate impedance sensing to study the attachment and spreading of mammalian cells. Anal Chem. 2002; 74(6):1333-9. DOI: 10.1021/ac011104a. View

Yamazaki N, Kobayashi Y, Kikuchi H, Isobe Y, Lu X, Miyashita T . Modeling of lung's electrical impedance using fractional calculus for analysis of heat generation during RF-ablation. Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2015; 2014:5323-8. DOI: 10.1109/EMBC.2014.6944828. View

10.

Blokland K, Nizamoglu M, Habibie H, Borghuis T, Schuliga M, Melgert B . Substrate stiffness engineered to replicate disease conditions influence senescence and fibrotic responses in primary lung fibroblasts. Front Pharmacol. 2022; 13:989169. PMC: 9673045. DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.989169. View

11.

Thannickal V, Henke C, Horowitz J, Noble P, Roman J, Sime P . Matrix biology of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a workshop report of the national heart, lung, and blood institute. Am J Pathol. 2014; 184(6):1643-51. PMC: 5808143. DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2014.02.003. View

12.

Bellani G, Bronco A, Arrigoni Marocco S, Pozzi M, Sala V, Eronia N . Measurement of Diaphragmatic Electrical Activity by Surface Electromyography in Intubated Subjects and Its Relationship With Inspiratory Effort. Respir Care. 2018; 63(11):1341-1349. DOI: 10.4187/respcare.06176. View

13.

Fu B, Freeborn T . Cole-impedance parameters representing biceps tissue bioimpedance in healthy adults and their alterations following eccentric exercise. J Adv Res. 2020; 25:285-293. PMC: 7474209. DOI: 10.1016/j.jare.2020.05.016. View

14.

Thompson S, Copeland C, Reich D, Tung L . Mechanical coupling between myofibroblasts and cardiomyocytes slows electric conduction in fibrotic cell monolayers. Circulation. 2011; 123(19):2083-93. PMC: 3176459. DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.110.015057. View

15.

Degache A, Poulletier de Gannes F, Garenne A, Renom R, Percherancier Y, Lagroye I . differentiation of human cardiac fibroblasts into myofibroblasts: characterization using electrical impedance. Biomed Phys Eng Express. 2021; 8(5). DOI: 10.1088/2057-1976/ac12e1. View

16.

Parramon D, Erill I, Guimera A, Ivorra A, Munoz A, Sola A . In vivo detection of liver steatosis in rats based on impedance spectroscopy. Physiol Meas. 2007; 28(8):813-28. DOI: 10.1088/0967-3334/28/8/005. View

17.

Miccoli I, Edler F, Pfnur H, Tegenkamp C . The 100th anniversary of the four-point probe technique: the role of probe geometries in isotropic and anisotropic systems. J Phys Condens Matter. 2015; 27(22):223201. DOI: 10.1088/0953-8984/27/22/223201. View

18.

Murphy E, Devaraj H, Eschbach M, Knapp R, Holden B, Halter R . Development of an Electrical Impedance Tomography Coupled Surgical Stapler for Tissue Characterization. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng. 2023; 71(1):97-105. DOI: 10.1109/TBME.2023.3292541. View

19.

Jung T, Vij N . Early Diagnosis and Real-Time Monitoring of Regional Lung Function Changes to Prevent Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Progression to Severe Emphysema. J Clin Med. 2021; 10(24). PMC: 8708661. DOI: 10.3390/jcm10245811. View

20.

Fuentes-Velez S, Fagoonee S, Sanginario A, Pizzi M, Altruda F, Demarchi D . Electrical Impedance-Based Characterization of Hepatic Tissue with Early-Stage Fibrosis. Biosensors (Basel). 2022; 12(2). PMC: 8869865. DOI: 10.3390/bios12020116. View