An optimized protocol for isolation of hepatic leukocytes retrieved from murine and NASH liver biopsies. An optimized protocol for isolation of hepatic leukocytes retrieved from murine and NASH liver biopsies

Immune dysregulation and inflammation by hepatic-resident leukocytes is considered a key step in disease progression of Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) toward cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here we provide a robust protocol for isolation and characterization of liver-resident immune cells from fine needle biopsies of rodent model and human. Various downstream applications can then be applied to gain an appreciation of the functional activity of liver-resident leukocyte populations. Overall design: Immune-cell FACS of liver needle biopsy tissue from mice using varying input cell numbers: 2,500 (n=3), 5,000 (n=3), 10,000 (n=3) and 20,000 (n=3) cells and bulk liver tissue as control (n=2)