In vivo molecular imaging of vascular stress.

Noninvasive in vivo imaging is an emerging specialty in experimental radiology aiming at developing hardware and appropriate contrast agents to visualize the molecular basis and pathophysiological processes of many pathological conditions, including atherosclerosis. The list of potentially useful tracers and targets for in vivo molecular imaging in the cascade of early atherosclerotic events has been narrowed down to some very promising endothelial factors, i.e., cell adhesion molecules, macrophages, apoptosis, lipoproteins, heat shock proteins, and others. In this review, we will update on the progress of recent developments in the field of noninvasive molecular imaging in experimental atherosclerosis.