title: In vivo albumin labeling and lymphatic imaging.
abstract: The ability to accurately and easily locate sentinel lymph nodes (LNs) with noninvasive imaging methods would assist in tumor staging and patient management. For this purpose, we developed a lymphatic imaging agent by mixing fluorine-18 aluminum fluoride-labeled NOTA (1,4,7-triazacyclononane-N,N',N''-triacetic acid)-conjugated truncated Evans blue ((18)F-AlF-NEB) and Evans blue (EB) dye. After local injection, both (18)F-AlF-NEB and EB form complexes with endogenous albumin in the interstitial fluid and allow for visualizing the lymphatic system. Positron emission tomography (PET) and/or optical imaging of LNs was performed in three different animal models including a hind limb inflammation model, an orthotropic breast cancer model, and a metastatic breast cancer model. In all three models, the LNs can be distinguished clearly by the apparent blue color and strong fluorescence signal from EB as well as a high-intensity PET signal from (18)F-AlF-NEB. The lymphatic vessels between the LNs can also be optically visualized. The easy preparation, excellent PET and optical imaging quality, and biosafety suggest that this combination of (18)F-AlF-NEB and EB has great potential for clinical application to map sentinel LNs and provide intraoperative guidance.
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Functional Imaging, Department of Radiology, Zhongda Hospital, Medical School of Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China; and Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Nanomedicine, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Nanomedicine, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: Lixin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Nanomedicine, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Nanomedicine, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: Zhe
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Nanomedicine, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: Orit
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Jacobson
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Nanomedicine, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: Dale O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Kiesewetter
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Nanomedicine, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: Iqbal U
authors.initials: IU
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Functional Imaging, Department of Radiology, Zhongda Hospital, Medical School of Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China; and shawn.chen@nih.gov gjteng@vip.sina.com niug@mail.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Gaojun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Teng
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Nanomedicine, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892 shawn.chen@nih.gov gjteng@vip.sina.com niug@mail.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Nanomedicine, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892 shawn.chen@nih.gov gjteng@vip.sina.com niug@mail.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Xiaoyuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000418:Albumins / Q000378:metabolism*; D017607:Aluminum Compounds; D000818:Animals; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D005070:Evans Blue / Q000378:metabolism; D005453:Fluorescence; D005459:Fluorides; D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; D006571:Heterocyclic Compounds; D006573:Heterocyclic Compounds, 1-Ring; D006614:Hindlimb / Q000473:pathology; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007249:Inflammation / Q000473:pathology; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D042601:Lymphatic Vessels / Q000473:pathology*; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D064847:Multimodal Imaging; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D013194:Staining and Labeling
chemical_list: D000418:Albumins; D017607:Aluminum Compounds; D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; D006571:Heterocyclic Compounds; D006573:Heterocyclic Compounds, 1-Ring; D005070:Evans Blue; C048993:1,4,7-triazacyclononane-N,N',N''-triacetic acid; D005459:Fluorides; C032311:aluminum fluoride
keywords: Evans blue; PET; albumin; lymph node; optical imaging