Normal and fibrotic liver parenchyma respond differently to irreversible electroporation ablation

Abstract Background The safety and efficacy of irreversible electroporation (IRE) in treating hepatic, biliary, and pancreatic malignancies are active areas of clinical investigation. In addition, recent studies have shown that IRE may enable regenerative surgery and in vivo tissue engineering. To use IRE effectively in these clinical applications, it is important to understand how different tissue microenvironments impact the response to IRE. In this study, we characterize the electrical and histological properties of non-fibrotic and fibrotic liver parenchyma before and after IRE treatment. Methods Electrical resistivity and histology of fibrotic liver from C57BL/6 mice fed a 0.1% 3,5-diethylcarbonyl-1,4-dihydrocollidine (DDC) diet were compared to those of non-fibrotic liver from matched control mice before and after IRE treatment. Results At baseline, the electrical resistivity of fibrotic liver was lower than that of non-fibrotic liver. Post-IRE, resistivity of non-fibrotic liver declined and then recovered back to baseline with time, correlating with hepatocyte repopulation of the ablated parenchyma without deposition of fibrotic scar. In contrast, resistivity of fibrotic liver remained depressed after IRE treatment, correlating with persistent inflammation. Conclusion Non-fibrotic and fibrotic liver respond to IRE differently. The underlying tissue microenvironment is an important modifying factor to consider when designing IRE protocols for tissue ablation.