Jihong Sun1,2, Xubin Li1,
Hongqing Feng1, Huidong Gu1, Tiffany Blair1,
Jiakai Li1, Yanfeng Meng1, Feng Zhang1,
Xiaoming Yang1,2
1Image-Guided Bio-Molecular
Interventions Section, Radiology, University of Washington School of
Medicine, Seattle, WA, United States; 2Radiology, Zhejiang
University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, People's Republic
of
Interleukin-10 (IL10) gene-transduced-bone marrow cells (BMC) were labeled with Feridex, and then transplanted into atherosclerotic ApoE-/- mice. In vivo MRI presented signal voids of the aorta walls due to the migration of the IL10/Feridex-BMCs into atherosclerotic lesions. Subsequent histologic measurements showed that the average size of atherosclerotic lesions in the mouse group with IL10/Feridex-BMC transplantation was significantly less than those in control mouse groups with Feridex-BMC transplantation or no BMC transplantation. This study demonstrates the potential of using in vivo MRI to track IL10/Feridex-BMCs recruited to atherosclerotic lesions, where IL10 genes may function to prevent the progression of atherosclerotic lesions.
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