방사선의학 웹진

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Abstract
Imaging techniques for diagnosing muscle atrophy and sarcopenia remain insufficient, although various advanced diagnostic methods have been established. We explored the feasibility of 18F-fluorocholine (18F-FCH) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) for evaluating skeletal muscle atrophy, as an imaging technique that tracks choline level changes in muscles. Cell uptake in L6 cells by 18F-FCH was performed in a complete medium containing serum (untreated group, UN) and a serum-free medium (starved group, ST). Small-animal-dedicated PET/CT imaging with 18F-FCH was examined in in-vivo models with rats that were starved for 2 days to cause muscle atrophy. After the hind limbs were dissected, starvation-induced in-vivo models were anatomically confirmed by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction to evaluate the expression levels of the atrophy markers muscle RING-finger protein-1 (MuRF-1) and atrogin-1. 18F-FCH uptake was lower in the starvation-induced cells than in the untreated group, and in-vivo PET uptake also revealed a similar tendency (the average standardized uptake value (SUVmean) = 0.26 ± 0.06 versus 0.37 ± 0.07, respectively). Furthermore, the expression levels of MuRF-1 and atrogin-1 mRNA were significantly increased in the starvation-induced muscle atrophy of rats compared to the untreated group. 18F-FCH PET/CT may be a promising tool for diagnosing skeletal muscle atrophy.

Affiliations

Sun Mi Park  1 , Jisu Kim  2 , Suji Baek  3 , Joo-Yeong Jeon  4 , Sang Ju Lee  5 , Seo Young Kang  1 , Min Young Yoo  6 , Hai-Jeon Yoon  6 , Seung Hae Kwon  4 , Kiwon Lim  2 , Seung Jun Oh  5 , Bom Sahn Kim  1 , Kang Pa Lee  1   3 , Byung Seok Moon  1
1 Department of Nuclear Medicine, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans University Seoul Hospital, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 07804, Korea.
2 Physical Activity and Performance Institute, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea.
3 Research and Development Center, UMUST R&D Corporation, Seoul 01411, Korea.
4 Seoul Center, Korean Basic Science Institute, Seoul 02841, Korea.
5 Department of Nuclear Medicine, College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan, Seoul 05505, Korea.
6 Department of Nuclear Medicine, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 07985, Korea.