title: Arterial (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake reflects balloon catheter-induced thrombus formation and tissue factor expression via nuclear factor-κB in rabbit atherosclerotic lesions.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Imaging modalities to assess atherosclerotic plaque thrombogenicity have not been established, so in this study the relationship between [(18)F]-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) uptake and thrombus formation was investigated in rabbit atherosclerotic arteries.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Atherosclerotic plaque was induced in the iliacofemoral artery by balloon injury and a 0.5% cholesterol diet. At 3 weeks after the first balloon injury, the arteries were visualized by (18)F-FDG positron emission tomography (PET) imaging 2h after an (18)F-FDG infusion, and then arterial thrombus was induced by a second balloon injury of both iliacofemoral arteries. Imaging with (18)F-FDG-PET revealed significantly more radioactivity along the injured (0.63 ± 0.12 SUVmax), than the contralateral non-injured artery (0.34 ± 0.08 SUV max, n=17, P<0.0001). Arterial radioactivity measured by autoradiography positively correlated with macrophage area, the number of nuclei that were immunopositive for nuclear factor κ B (NF-κB), and tissue factor (TF) expression. The immunopositive areas for glycoprotein IIb/IIIa and fibrin in thrombi were significantly larger in the atherosclerotic than in the contralateral arteries, and significantly correlated with radioactivity in PET (r=0.92, P<0.001, n=10) and autoradiography (r=0.73, P<0.0001, n=50) in the arteries. Inhibition of NF-κB significantly reduced TF expression in cultured atherosclerotic plaque.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Arterial (18)F-FDG uptake reflects the thrombogenicity of atherosclerotic plaque following balloon injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Miyazaki.
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Songji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Yunosuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsuura
authors.forename: Chihiro
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sugita
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Iwakiri
authors.forename: Nozomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Okuyama
authors.forename: Kazuyo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohe
authors.forename: Chihiro
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Koshimoto
authors.forename: Keiichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawai
authors.forename: Nagara
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tamaki
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kuge
authors.forename: Yujiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Asada
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism; D057785:Catheters / Q000009:adverse effects*; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000494:pharmacology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D008297:Male; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism*; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011817:Rabbits; D011859:Radiography; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000494:pharmacology; D013925:Thromboplastin / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016328:NF-kappa B; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D013925:Thromboplastin