Monitoring infection and inflammation in murine models of cystic fibrosis with magnetic resonance imaging.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in assessing lung inflammation longitudinally in genetic mouse models of cystic fibrosis (CF). MRI is used to view soft tissues noninvasively, but the lung is challenging to image.


METHODS
Cftr(+/+) (wildtype) and Cftr(-/-) (CF) mice were inoculated with agarose beads laden with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Longitudinal MR lung images were acquired with cardiac gating. The effects of echo time and respiration gating were evaluated to improve the detection of lung inflammation.


RESULTS
Cardiac gating and signal averaging sufficiently suppressed motion artifacts without requiring respiration gating. MRI detected moderate to severe inflammation in infected mice, which was confirmed by histology results.


CONCLUSIONS
In vivo longitudinal MRI methods can assess lung inflammation in P. aeruginosa-infected mice, which obviates serial sacrifice. MRI was able to detect inflammation in the absence of other physiological symptoms.
Sheth
Vipul R
VR
Case Center for Imaging Research and Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University Cystic Fibrosis Core Center Animal Core, Cleveland, Ohio 44106-7207, USA.
van Heeckeren
R Christiaan
RC
Wilson
Alma G
AG
van Heeckeren
Anna M
AM
Pagel
Mark D
MD
D000818:Animals; D016477:Artifacts; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000150:complications*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007249:Inflammation; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa