title: Non-invasive ultrasound to identify eosinophil granule proteins in eosinophilic esophagitis.
abstract: Although traditional microbubble contrast agents are bright, the high contrast of gas bubbles and air-water interfaces in the upper gastrointestinal tract renders these agents less useful for diagnosing diseases such as eosinophilic esophagitis, a disease characterized by patchy infiltration of eosinophils into the esophagus. Here we report a first-in-class ultrasound contrast enhancement agent composed of echogenic insulin particles, which are labeled with molecular recognition elements to diagnose eosinophil-associated diseases. We prepared solid echogenic insulin particles, tethered antibodies to eosinophil granule major basic protein 1 (MBP-1) to their surfaces and experimentally evaluated binding of these agents to MBP-1 on ex vivo non-human primate esophagi. We found that insulin particles can be readily observed by ultrasound and bind to MBP-1-coated esophagi within minutes. Our results suggest the potential of this new class of solid contrast agents to image, diagnose and improve management of eosinophilic esophagitis.
authors: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Department of Dermatology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Electronic address: Hedieh.Saffari@utah.edu.
authors: Hedieh
authors: H
authors: Saffari
authors: Department of Clinical Radiology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
authors: Anne
authors: A
authors: Kennedy
authors: Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
authors: Kathryn A
authors: KA
authors: Peterson
authors: Department of Dermatology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
authors: Gerald J
authors: GJ
authors: Gleich
authors: Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
authors: Leonard F
authors: LF
authors: Pease
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000737:chemistry*; D047091:Eosinophil Granule Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D047093:Eosinophil Major Basic Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D057765:Eosinophilic Esophagitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism*; D007328:Insulin / Q000737:chemistry*; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D047091:Eosinophil Granule Proteins; D007328:Insulin; D047093:Eosinophil Major Basic Protein
keywords: Eosinophilic esophagitis; Insulin; Major basic protein; Molecular imaging; Targeted imaging; Ultrasound