Can Photoacoustic Imaging Provide a Sensitive Marker for Early Detection of Diabetic Nephropathy

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the leading cause of chronic kidney disease. Albuminuria or glomerular filtration rate (GFR) test is time-consuming with low sensitivity. Here, we used a photoacoustic imaging (PAI) system to evaluate the pathophysiological change of DN in mice models in vivo. The results showed that compared with the control group, the average blood oxygen saturation (sO₂ Avr) significantly elevated at early-stage group, then gradually decreased at the advanced stage. The average hemoglobin concentration (HbT Avr) and lipid PA signal intensity dramatically drop down at advanced stage of DN. The AUC of sO₂ Avr for diagnosis of early stage DN was 0.847 (95% CI: 0.636-1.0). The AUCs of HbT Avr and lipid PA signal intensity for diagnosis of advanced-stage DN were 0.917 (95% CI: 0.795-1.0), 0.875 (95% CI: 0.734-1.0). In conclusion, PAI was potentially useful for the early evaluation of DN.