IHC Results (unofficial update)

These pictures are the results of the IHC tests. The left two pictures are healthy livers while the two on the right are livers affected by NASH. In the NASH pictures, the large white circles are lipid stores (fat deposits). The purpose of the IHC test is to stain a target protein with a dye so that the proteins are visible under a microscope. The target protein in this test was the Bcrp transporter protein. These proteins can be seen in the pictures as the brownish orange lines between the liver cells. These proteins act as a passage way between the blood stream and the liver cells. In the healthy livers, the proteins are properly dispersed and connected between the liver cells. In the Nash livers, the proteins have been disconnected and bunched up. This is why livers that have been affected by NASH can no longer metabolize certain drugs. Without the proteins to act as a passage between the liver cells and the blood, drugs can not be absorbed and metabolized by the liver.