Modern Methods for Assessing the Regenerative Potential of the Liver after Partial Hepatectomy (Review)

The review addresses the main methods for assessing the function and regenerative potential of the liver. They include both the traditional methods, commonly used in clinical practice, and the latest promising techniques suitable for the analysis of cellular and tissue pathology and having a proven diagnostic value. It is known that the dynamics of liver regeneration is reflected in the metabolic status of liver cells, their morphology, and the molecular rearrangement. Therefore, by looking at these parameters we will be able to assess the regenerative potential of the liver as a whole. At present, the most promising method is represented by multiphoton microscopy able to generate the second harmonic; there are also such techniques as coherent anti-stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS), stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy, and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM). In addition, a number of options for analyzing metabolic and structural changes are provided by mass spectrometry, in particular time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). Studies using these methods with in vivo models and with human biopsy samples demonstrate their relevance in biomedical research and in clinical practice alike.