Spotting Liver Harm: A New Tool in Action

Liver damage caused by drugs, known as drug-induced liver injury (DILI), is a serious issue. Doctors often miss the early signs. Here’s where a tiny detail in liver cells comes into play: their mitochondria. When these tiny powerhouses get hurt, they become thicker or stickier, a change we can see as increased viscosity. Scientists have created a special tool named Wyry-M-V to track this. It uses a special type of light called near-infrared fluorescence imaging to take clear pictures of mitochondria.This tool was tested on mice given different drugs, like lipopolysaccharide, nystatin, and acetaminophen (APAP). APAP is one drug that can cause DILI, and Wyry-M-V does a great job of spotting the changes in mice treated with it. But why is this important? Early detection of liver damage can help doctors step in quickly and prevent worse harm. Imagine if you could spot a problem in your car engine before it breaks down. That’s what Wyry-M-V does for our livers.