Karen Catherin Briley-Saebo1, Sung Kee Ryu2,
Simone Green2, Venkatesh Mani3, Stephen Dickson3,
Sotirios Tsimikas2, Zahi A. Fayad3
1Radiology and Gene and Cell Medicine,
Mount Sinai School of Medicine, NY, United States; 2Vascular
Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States; 3Radiology,
Mount Sinai School of Medicine, NY, United States
Oxidized
low-density lipoproteins (OxLDL) play a major role in plaque progression.
Although OxLDL-targeted gadolinium micelles have been used for in-vivo
detection of intraplaque macrophages, safety issues may limit clinical
utility. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the in-vivo efficacy of
oxLDL-targeted iron oxides. Small (<25nm) and large (>50nm)
oxLDL-targeted particles were administered (4-mgFe/kg) to ApoE-/- mice.
Imaging was performed 24 hours p.i. at 9.4T. Significant enhancement
(R2*>50%) was observed for the small oxLDL-targeted particles.
Untargeted and large formulations exhibited limited enhancement. This study
suggests that small OxLDL-targeted particles may allow for safe detection of
foam cells.