title: Pulmonary inflammation monitored noninvasively by MRI in freely breathing rats.
abstract: A detailed analysis has been carried out of the correlation between the signals detected by MRI in the rat lung after allergen or endotoxin challenge and parameters of inflammation determined in the broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL) fluid. MRI signals after allergen correlated highly significantly with the BAL fluid eosinophil number, eosinophil peroxidase activity and protein concentration. Similar highly significant correlations were seen when the anti-inflammatory glucocorticosteroid, budesonide, manifested against allergen. In contrast, following endotoxin challenge, mucus was the sole BAL fluid parameter that correlated significantly with the long lasting signal detected by MRI. Since edema is an integral component of pulmonary inflammation, MRI provides a noninvasive means of monitoring the course of the inflammatory response and should prove invaluable in profiling anti-inflammatory drugs in vivo. Further, the prospect of noninvasively detecting a sustained mucus hypersecretory phenotype in the lung brings an important new perspective to models of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases.
authors.affiliation: Central Technologies, Novartis Pharma AG, Lichtstrasse 35, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tigani
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schaeublin
authors.forename: Rosemary
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sugar
authors.forename: Alan D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.forename: John R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Fozard
authors.forename: Nicolau
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Beckmann
mesh_terms: D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000276:immunology; D019819:Budesonide / Q000494:pharmacology; D047209:Eosinophil Peroxidase; D007249:Inflammation / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008168:Lung / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009093:Mucus / Q000378:metabolism; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000276:immunology; D010544:Peroxidases / Q000032:analysis; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology; D011654:Pulmonary Edema / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D011657:Pulmonary Eosinophilia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D051381:Rats; D011914:Rats, Inbred BN; D012119:Respiration
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D019819:Budesonide; D010047:Ovalbumin; D047209:Eosinophil Peroxidase; D010544:Peroxidases