title: Optical imaging of vascular pathophysiology.
abstract: Pathophysiological processes in the vascular system are the major cause of mortality and disease. Atherosclerosis, an inflammatory process in arterial walls, can lead to formation of plaques, whose rupture can lead to thrombus formation, obstruction of vessels (thrombosis), reduction of the blood flow (ischemia), cell death in the tissue fed by the occluded vessel, and depending on the affected vessel, to myocardial infarction or stroke. Imaging techniques enabling visualization of the biological processes involved in this scenario are therefore highly desirable. In recent years, a number of reporter agents and reporter systems have been developed to visualize these processes using different imaging modalities including nuclear imaging techniques, such as positron emission tomography or single photon emission computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and ultrasound. This article comprises a brief overview of optical imaging techniques, such as fluorescence imaging and bioluminescence imaging for the visualization of vascular pathophysiology.
authors.affiliation: Molecular imaging group, Dept. of Experimental Neurology, Center for Stroke Research Berlin (CSB), Charité - University Medicine Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10098, Berlin, Germany. andreas.wunder@charite.de
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wunder
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Klohs
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016923:Cell Death; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000473:pathology; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D006801:Humans; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases