Claudia Weidensteiner1, Wilfried Reichardt1, Holger Weber2, Dominik Paul1, Oliver Siedentopf2, Christoph Schaechtele2, Dominik von Elverfeldt1
1Dept. of Diagnostic Radiology, Medical Physics, University Hospital Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; 2ProQinase GmbH, Freiburg, Germany
Vascular function was studied with dynamic contrast enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) in a new angiogenesis model in vivo. Human endothelial cells embedded in a Matrigel matrix formed a functional neovasculature after these Matrigel plugs were implanted into mice. DCE-MRI showed that the plugs were perfused which was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. DCE-MRI data were fitted with a two-compartment model. Anti-angiogenic treatment decreased the fitted transfer constants and areas under the enhancement curves as compared to control plugs which indicated a decreased perfusion.