title: Molecular imaging of neuroinflammation in preclinical rodent models using positron emission tomography.
abstract: Neuroinflammation (NI) is an adaptive response to different noxious stimuli, involving microglia, astrocytes and peripheral immune cells. NI is a hallmark of several acute and chronic diseases of central nervous system (CNS) and contributes to both damage and repair of CNS tissue. Interventional or genetically modified rodent models mimicking human neuropathologies may provide valuable insights on basic mechanisms of NI, but also for improving the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Preclinical positron emission tomography (PET) allows to investigate noninvasively the inflammatory response in CNS of rodent models at a molecular level, validating innovative probes for early diagnosis, and characterizing the time course of neuroinflammatory changes and their relationship with disease progression, as well as the effects of experimental treatments with high translational potential. In particular, recent efforts of preclinical PET field are intended to develop specific and selective radiotracers that target the activation of innate immune system in CNS. Here, we have reviewed the state of art for PET in relevant rodent models of acute and chronic neuropathologies associated with NI, with particular regard on imaging of activated microglia and astrocytes.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, National Research Council, Naples, Italy.|CEINGE Scarl, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gargiulo
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, National Research Council, Naples, Italy.|Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples &quot;Federico II&quot;, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Coda
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, National Research Council, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Mariarosaria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Panico
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, National Research Council, Naples, Italy.|CEINGE Scarl, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gramanzini
authors.affiliation: Experimental Imaging Center, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.|Medicine and Surgery Department, University of Milano Bicocca, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Rosa M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Moresco
authors.affiliation: Inserm U930, Université François Rabelais de Tours, Tours, France.
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chalon
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, National Research Council, Naples, Italy - sabina.pappata@ibb.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Sabina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pappatà
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002493:Central Nervous System Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D012377:Rodentia