방사선의학 웹진

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Abstract

INTRODUCTION:

Macrophages play a key role in atherosclerotic plaque formation in atherosclerosis, but its detailed understanding has poorly investigated until now. Thus, we sought to demonstrate a noninvasive technique for macrophage tracking to atherosclerotic lesions in apolipoprotein E-/-(ApoE-/-) mice with an imaging system based on sodium iodide symporter (NIS) gene coupled with 99mTc-single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT).

METHODS AND RESULTS:

Macrophage cells (RAW264.7) were stably transduced with retrovirus expressing NIS gene (RAW-NIS). In RAW-NIS cells, uptake of 125I was higher than the parental cells. [18F]FDG signals in the aorta at 30weeks on an ApoE-/- mice with high cholesterol diet were higher (1.7±0.12% injected dose (ID)) than those in control group (0.84±0.06% ID). Through 99mTc-SPECT/computed tomography (CT), in the RAW-NIS cell injected group, the 99mTc-pertechnetate uptake in aorta was higher than control groups. However, according to atorvastatin treatment, RAW-NIS cell recruitment reduced to the aorta. Area of 99mTc-pertechnetate uptake was positively correlated with immunostaining results against macrophage antigen (CD68). Cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein levels of atorvastatin-treated group showed lower than those of atorvastatin-untreated group, but did not reach statistical difference.

CONCLUSIONS:

This novel approach to tracking macrophages to atherosclerotic plaques in vivo can be applied for studies of arterosclerotic vascular disease.

Author information

Yoo RJ1, Kim MH2, Woo SK2, Kim KI2, Lee TS2, Choi YK3, Kang JH2, Lim SM4, Lee YJ5.

1 Division of RI-Convergence Research, Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Laboratory Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

2 Division of RI-Convergence Research, Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

3 Department of Laboratory Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

4 Department of Nuclear Medicine, Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

5 Division of RI-Convergence Research, Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: yjlee@kirams.re.kr.