Preservation media analysis for ex vivo measurements of endogenous UV fluorescence of liver fibrosis in bulk samples

Non-subjective, minimally-invasive, and quantifying techniques may support development and evaluation of a fibrosis regression treatment. The build-up of extracellular matrix in liver fibrosis may result on changes of the endogenous fluorescence of tissue. In this work, we evaluate the fluorescence excitation/emission matrix in the UV range for several bulk samples of murine hepatic tissue preserved in different media. Chemical changes on tissue, caused by formaldehyde preservation, alter the endogenous fluorescence spectra. To avoid these drawbacks, phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) or Iscove’s Modified Dulbecco’s Medium were used. PBS buffer showed to be the less harmful and cost-effective preservation medium to study the endogenous fluorescence in fibrotic tissue.