Boron-dipyrromethene Staining May Enhance Fat Detection in the MASLD Zebrafish Model: NGS-validated lncRNA Profiling

Area of Science:

• Hepatology and Molecular Biology
• Zebrafish models for human disease research
• Biomarker discovery for liver disease

Background:

• Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a growing global health issue.
• Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a crucial role in MASLD development.
• Zebrafish offer a valuable model for studying MASLD due to genetic similarities with humans.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) staining for detecting hepatic steatosis.
• To compare BODIPY staining with the conventional Oil Red O method in a MASLD zebrafish model.
• To identify novel lncRNAs associated with fatty liver changes in zebrafish.

Main Methods:

• Zebrafish were fed a high-cholesterol diet supplemented with BODIPY.
• Liver tissues underwent both BODIPY and Oil Red O staining, assessed by pathologists.
• Next-generation sequencing (NGS) was performed on liver tissues from high and low fatty change groups.

Main Results:

• A significant correlation was observed between BODIPY and Oil Red O staining results (p=0.009).
• NGS identified eight differentially expressed lncRNAs between high and low fatty change groups (>10-fold change).
• Three identified lncRNAs formed interaction networks with mRNAs linked to human diseases.

Conclusions:

• BODIPY staining is a dependable alternative to Oil Red O for assessing fatty changes in MASLD zebrafish.
• This method is particularly useful for evaluating frozen liver sections.
• The study highlights potential lncRNA biomarkers for MASLD.