MRI follow-up of TNF-dependent differential progression of atherosclerotic wall-thickening in mouse aortic arch from early to advanced stages.
OBJECTIVE
An optimized, longitudinal in vivo magnetic resonance vessel wall-imaging protocol was evaluated regarding its capability of detecting differences in the time-dependent atherosclerotic lesion progression in the aortic arch between ApoE(-/-) and double-deficient ApoE(-/-)/TNF(-/-) mice at comparatively early plaque development stages.


METHODS
Seven ApoE(-/-) and seven ApoE(-/-)/TNF(-/-) female mice underwent MRI at 11.75 teslas at four stages up to 26 weeks of age. A double-gated spin-echo MRI sequence was used with careful perpendicular slice positioning to visualize the vessel wall of the ascending aortic arch.


RESULTS
Wall-thickness progression measured with MRI was significant at 11 weeks of age in ApoE(-/-) mice, but only at 26 weeks in ApoE(-/-)/TNF(-/-) mice. A significant correlation was found between MRI wall-thickness and lesion area determined on histology.


CONCLUSIONS
MRI was shown to be sensitive enough to reveal subtle genetically-induced differences in lesion progression at ages earlier than 25 weeks.
Centre de Résonance Magnétique Biologique et Médicale, CNRS UMR n 6612, Faculté de Médecine, Université de la Méditerranée, 27 Boulevard J. Moulin, 13005 Marseille, France. frank.kober@univmed.fr
Frank
F
Kober
Matthias
M
Canault
Franck
F
Peiretti
Christoph
C
Mueller
Francis
F
Kopp
Marie-Christine
MC
Alessi
Patrick J
PJ
Cozzone
Gilles
G
Nalbone
Monique
M
Bernard
D000818:Animals; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000473:pathology*; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics*; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018450:Disease Progression; D017352:Echo-Planar Imaging; D005260:Female; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000235:genetics*
D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha