BACKGROUND: Imaging modalities to assess atherosclerotic plaque thrombogenicity have not been established, so in this study the relationship between [(18)F]-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) uptake and thrombus formation was investigated in rabbit atherosclerotic arteries. METHODS AND RESULTS: Atherosclerotic plaque was induced in the iliacofemoral artery by balloon injury and a 0.5% cholesterol diet. At 3 weeks after the first balloon injury, the arteries were visualized by (18)F-FDG positron emission tomography (PET) imaging 2h after an (18)F-FDG infusion, and then arterial thrombus was induced by a second balloon injury of both iliacofemoral arteries. Imaging with (18)F-FDG-PET revealed significantly more radioactivity along the injured (0.63 ± 0.12 SUVmax), than the contralateral non-injured artery (0.34 ± 0.08 SUV max, n=17, P<0.0001). Arterial radioactivity measured by autoradiography positively correlated with macrophage area, the number of nuclei that were immunopositive for nuclear factor κ B (NF-κB), and tissue factor (TF) expression. The immunopositive areas for glycoprotein IIb/IIIa and fibrin in thrombi were significantly larger in the atherosclerotic than in the contralateral arteries, and significantly correlated with radioactivity in PET (r=0.92, P<0.001, n=10) and autoradiography (r=0.73, P<0.0001, n=50) in the arteries. Inhibition of NF-κB significantly reduced TF expression in cultured atherosclerotic plaque. CONCLUSIONS: Arterial (18)F-FDG uptake reflects the thrombogenicity of atherosclerotic plaque following balloon injury.
BACKGROUND: Imaging modalities to assess atherosclerotic plaque thrombogenicity have not been established, so in this study the relationship between [(18)F]-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) uptake and thrombus formation was investigated in rabbit atherosclerotic arteries. METHODS AND RESULTS:Atherosclerotic plaque was induced in the iliacofemoral artery by balloon injury and a 0.5% cholesterol diet. At 3 weeks after the first balloon injury, the arteries were visualized by (18)F-FDG positron emission tomography (PET) imaging 2h after an (18)F-FDG infusion, and then arterial thrombus was induced by a second balloon injury of both iliacofemoral arteries. Imaging with (18)F-FDG-PET revealed significantly more radioactivity along the injured (0.63 ± 0.12 SUVmax), than the contralateral non-injured artery (0.34 ± 0.08 SUV max, n=17, P<0.0001). Arterial radioactivity measured by autoradiography positively correlated with macrophage area, the number of nuclei that were immunopositive for nuclear factor κ B (NF-κB), and tissue factor (TF) expression. The immunopositive areas for glycoprotein IIb/IIIa and fibrin in thrombi were significantly larger in the atherosclerotic than in the contralateral arteries, and significantly correlated with radioactivity in PET (r=0.92, P<0.001, n=10) and autoradiography (r=0.73, P<0.0001, n=50) in the arteries. Inhibition of NF-κB significantly reduced TF expression in cultured atherosclerotic plaque. CONCLUSIONS: Arterial (18)F-FDG uptake reflects the thrombogenicity of atherosclerotic plaque following balloon injury.
Authors: Ashley F Stein-Merlob; Tetsuya Hara; Jason R McCarthy; Adam Mauskapf; James A Hamilton; Vasilis Ntziachristos; Peter Libby; Farouc A Jaffer Journal: Circ Cardiovasc Imaging Date: 2017-05 Impact factor: 7.792
Authors: Ning Hua; Fred Baik; Tuan Pham; Alkystis Phinikaridou; Nick Giordano; Beth Friedman; Michael Whitney; Quyen T Nguyen; Roger Y Tsien; James A Hamilton Journal: PLoS One Date: 2015-10-08 Impact factor: 3.240