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Abstract The TGF-β1/Smad3-signaling pathway and gender differences were investigated in alcoholic liver fibrosis. Mice were divided into female normal, female model, male normal, and male model groups. Liver injury and fibrosis were assessed using histopathology and serology. Western blotting was performed to analyze the expression of relevant factors. HSC-T6 cells were divided into estradiol + saline, estradiol + ethanol, testosterone + saline, and testosterone + ethanol groups, and similar assessments were conducted in vitro. Compared with the female model group, the male model group exhibited significantly increased GPT, GOT, TNF-α, IL-6, and testosterone levels, fibrosis rate, and TGF-β1, Smad3, and PCNA expression, and significantly decreased estradiol levels and Caspase-3 expression. The apoptosis rate was higher in the estradiol + ethanol group than in the testosterone + ethanol group, although the testosterone + ethanol group exhibited significantly increased TNF-α, IL-6, Collagen-I, α-SMA, TGF-β1, Smad3, and PCNA expression, and significantly decreased Caspase-3 expression. Alcoholic liver fibrosis showed significant gender differences associated with the TGF-β1/Smad3-signaling pathway.

Abstract Molecular imaging plays important roles in many fields, including disease diagnosis, therapeutic efficacy evaluation, intraoperative imaging guidance, drug metabolism monitoring, and patient selection for appropriate treatment. As a key component, the targeting ligand determines the specificity, affinity, and in vivo performance of molecular imaging probes. In this review, high‐throughput screening and biological display platforms for the discovery of ligands applicable to molecular imaging are briefly reviewed. Basic information on ligand development for molecular imaging is first introduced, followed by a presentation of various selection platforms and typical or iterative cases. The features, advantages, limitations, and application scope of screening and display platforms are compared and discussed. Last, a basic selection strategy and a perspective for protein‐based ligands are provided.