Molecular imaging with macrophage CRIg-targeting nanobodies for early and preclinical diagnosis in a mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis.

UNLABELLED: An accurate and noninvasive tracer able to detect molecular events underlying the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) would be useful for RA diagnosis and drug efficacy assessment. A complement receptor of the Ig superfamily (CRIg) is expressed on synovial macrophages of RA patients, making it an interesting target for molecular imaging of RA. We aim to develop a radiotracer for the visualization of CRIg in a mouse model for RA using radiolabeled single-domain variable antibody VHH fragments (Nanobodies).
METHODS: Quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to locate CRIg expression in mice with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). A Nanobody, NbV4m119, was generated to specifically target CRIg. Flow cytometry, phosphorimaging, and confocal microscopy were used to confirm NbVm119 binding to CRIg-positive cells. SPECT (SPECT/CT) was used to image arthritic lesions in the inflamed paws of 29 mice using (99m)Tc-NbV4m119 Nanobody.
RESULTS: CRIg is constitutively expressed in the liver and was found to be upregulated in synovial tissues of CIA mice. SPECT/CT imaging revealed that (99m)Tc-NbV4m119 specifically targeted CRIg-positive liver macrophages in naïve wild-type but not in CRIg(-/-) (CRIg knockout) mice. In CIA mice, (99m)Tc-NbV4m119 accumulation in arthritic lesions increased according to the severity of the inflammation. In the knees of mice with CIA, (99m)Tc-NbV4m119 was found to accumulate even before the onset of macroscopic clinical symptoms.
CONCLUSION: SPECT/CT imaging with (99m)Tc-NbV4m119 visualizes joint inflammation in CIA. Furthermore, imaging could predict which mice will develop clinical symptoms during CIA. Consequently, imaging of joint inflammation with CRIg-specific Nanobodies offers perspectives for clinical applications in RA patients.