Jurgen E. Schneider1, Asim M. Akhtar1, Hannah Barnes1, Stephanie Baker2, Janet E. Digby1, Martina A. McAteer1, Kathryn Wood2, Robin P. Choudhury1
1Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxon, UK; 2Nuffield Department of Surgery, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxon, UK
Ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) is an important cause of tissue damage in vascular syndromes of the heart, brain and kidney, but sensitive tools to image ischemic injury in vivo are lacking. Our study demonstrated that (a) antibody-conjugated microparticles of iron oxide (MPIO) targeting VCAM-1 enabled molecular magnetic resonance imaging of endothelial activation in mouse renal IRI; (b) the retained MPIO were readily quantifiable from the MR images. Our approach provides a platform for non-invasive detection of IRI in the kidney and potentially other organs.