Intravital Imaging as a Tool to Uncover Roles of Immune Cells in Chronic Liver Diseases

Chronic liver diseases (CLD) is a broad term, which includes alcoholic and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), viral hepatitis, autoimmune and many other conditions. CLDs can progress to fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and is a major global health burden. Immune cells play a critical, yet often complex role in the initiation, progression, and resolution of liver injury. While traditional methods have elucidated many aspects of immune cell function during liver disease, advanced imaging techniques are now providing unprecedented spatio-temporal insights into immune cell dynamics in vivo, revealing new contributions and interactions. This review will explore the capabilities of advanced intravital microscopy, in visualizing and characterizing the diverse populations of immune cells within the liver microenvironment during CLD. Understanding the many roles immune cells play through imaging opens new possibilities to identify diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic strategies for CLD treatment.