A study using superparamagnetic iron oxide-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (SPIO-MRI) to assess the phagocytic function of KCs in animal models of NAFLD has demonstrated a strong correlation between the severity of disease observed on SPIO-MRI and the degree of hepatic steatosis, inflammation, fibrosis, and SPIO particle deposition in liver tissues (Cheong et al., 2015). This evidence concerns the gene TBCE and fatty liver disease.