Diagnostic Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Atherosclerosis in Apolipoprotein E Knockout Mouse Model Using Macrophage-Targeted Gadolinium-Containing Synthetic Lipopeptide Nanoparticles
Fig 3
Targeted in vivo imaging of macrophages in aortic atherosclerotic lesions.
(A) Representative axial T1-weighted images of apo E knockout (KO) mice, collected before (Pre) and 4 h, 24 h, 48 h and 72 h after contrast agent administration. Apo E KO mice were administered with the equivalent of 0.05 mmol Gd kg −1 of paramagnetic and Rhodamine B-labeled discoidal HDL (dHDL) or spherical HDL (sHDL) containing a 1:1 mixture of oxidized synthetic apo A-I peptides H4 and H6. The insets in each scan show the original images, which were cropped and enlarged to highlight the aorta. A single representative mouse is shown for either dHDL or sHDL. (B) NER values (mean ± SD) of mouse aorta wall following contrast administration were calculated for each of the time points (n = 5 slices) for the representative mouse using the corresponding T1-weighted images and are relative to muscle. (C) CNR values (mean ± SD) of mouse aorta wall following contrast administration were calculated for each of the time points (n = 5 slices) using the corresponding T1-weighted images and are relative to muscle.
