title: MR angiography, MR imaging and proton MR spectroscopy in-vivo assessment of skeletal muscle ischemia in diabetic rats.
abstract: To prospectively evaluate the feasibility of using magnetic resonance (MR) techniques for in-vivo assessing a rat diabetic model of limb ischemia. Unilateral hind limb ischemia was induced by ligation of the iliac-femoral artery in male streptozotocin-treated and non-diabetic control rats. Four weeks after ligation, rats underwent MR Angiography (MRA), T(1)-weighted and Short Time Inversion Recovery (STIR) sequences and muscle Proton MR Spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) on both hind limbs. After MR examinations, immunoblotting and immunofluorescence analysis were performed. MRA showed a signal void due to flow discontinuation distal to the artery ligation. T(1)-weighted and STIR images showed, respectively, the presence of tissue swelling (p = 0.018 for non-diabetic; p = 0.027 for diabetic rats) and signal hyperintensity in tissue affected by occlusion. Mean total creatine/water for the occluded limb was significantly lower than for the non-occluded limbs in both non-diabetic (5.46×10(-4) vs 1.14×10(-3), p = 0.028) and diabetic rats (1.37×10(-4) vs 1.10×10(-3); p = 0.018). MR Imaging and (1)H-MRS changes were more pronounced in diabetic than in non-diabetic occluded limbs (p = 0.032). MR findings were confirmed by using histological findings. Combined MR techniques can be used to demonstrate the presence of structural and metabolic changes produced by iliac-femoral artery occlusion in rat diabetic model of limb ischemia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Imaging, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, G. d'Annunzio University Foundation, Chieti, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Delli Pizzi
authors.forename: Rosalinda
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Madonna
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Caulo
authors.forename: Gian Luca
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Romani
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: De Caterina
authors.forename: Armando
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tartaro
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D007511:Ischemia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000473:pathology*; D011859:Radiography; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley