Multimodality imaging in the assessment of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell therapy for doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy.

Due to their broad-spectrum effects and high antitumor efficacies, anthracycline-based chemotherapies are commonly prescribed in various solid and hematological malignancies. Doxorubicin (DOX) is one of the most highly used anthracyclines but has been shown to cause lethal cardiomyopathy in clinical practice. Studies have demonstrated that bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) have the ability to rescue DOX-induced cardiomyopathy (DIC). However, novel molecular imaging techniques are required to explore the biological behaviors, safety, eventual viability, and environmental interactions of transplanted stem cells during therapy. To investigate the biological behaviors of transplanted BMSCs, we applied bioluminescence imaging (BLI) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to trace firefly luciferase (Fluc) and ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (USPIO) double-labeled mouse BMSCs after injection into the heart apex in a chronic DIC mouse model. Then, we determined the optimal BMSC number for transplantation into the heart and optimized MRI parameters to evaluate transplanted BMSCs in vitro and in vivo. Our results showed that the BLI trace signal could last 7 days in the DIC mouse model, whereas the MRI signal lasted up to 3 days. However, MRI provided more detailed pathophysiological information on DIC than BLI, such as inflammation and fibrosis signs. The optimal in vivo cell number for BLI and MRI was determined to be 1×106. In conclusion, BLI combined with multimodality MRI could be used to monitor the biological behavior of BMSCs transplanted into a chronic DIC mouse model in a visual and dynamic manner. AJCR