Molecular MRI of Myocardial Angiogenesis After Acute Myocardial Infarction

Marlies Oostendorp¹, Kim Douma¹, Allard Wagenaar¹, Jos MGM Slenter¹, Tilman M. Hackeng¹, Marc AMJ van Zandvoort¹, Mark J. Post¹, Walter H. Backes¹

Here, a molecular MRI method is presented to non-invasively image angiogenic activity in vivo in a murine model of myocardial infarction using cyclic cNGR-labeled paramagnetic quantum dots (pQDs). The tripeptide cNGR homes specifically to CD13, an aminopeptidase that is strongly upregulated during myocardial angiogenesis. cNGR-QDs allowed specific detection of post-infarction myocardial angiogenesis, as shown by the strong contrast observed in the infarcted mouse heart on molecular MRI, and by the colocalization of cNGR-pQDs with vascular endothelial cells as detected by fluorescence microscopy.