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Kim NW, Seo SM, Yoo ES, Kang AR, Lee JH, Lee JH, Kang BC, Lee HW, Choi YK. Short-term carcinogenicity study of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea in FVB-Trp53 heterozygous mice. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0280214. [PMID: 36608059 PMCID: PMC9821506 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0280214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Carcinogenicity tests predict the tumorigenic potential of various substances in the human body by studying tumor induction in experimental animals. There is a need for studies that explore the use of FVB/N-Trp53em2Hwl/Korl (FVB-Trp53+/-) mice, created by TALEN-mediated gene targeting in Korea, in carcinogenicity tests. This study was performed to determine whether FVB-Trp53+/- mice are a suitable model for short-term carcinogenicity studies. To compare the carcinogenicity at different concentrations, 25, 50, and 75 mg/kg of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU), a known carcinogen, were administered intraperitoneally to FVB-Trp53+/- and wild-type male mice. After 26 weeks, the survival rate was significantly reduced in FVB-Trp53+/- mice compared to the wild-type mice in the 50 and 75 mg/kg groups. The incidence of thymic malignant lymphoma (TML) in the 50 and 75 mg/kg groups was 54.2 and 59.1% in FVB-Trp53+/- male mice, respectively. TML metastasized to the lungs, spleen, lymph nodes, liver, kidney, and heart in FVB-Trp53+/- male mice. Furthermore, the incidence of primary lung tumors, such as adenomas and adenocarcinomas, was 65.4, 62.5, and 45.4% in the FVB-Trp53+/- mice of the 25, 50, and 75 mg/kg groups, respectively. The main tumor types in FVB-Trp53+/- mice were TML and primary lung tumors, regardless of the dose of MNU administered. These results suggest that systemic tumors may result from malfunctions in the p53 gene and pathway, which is an important factor in the pathogenesis of human cancers. Therefore, FVB-Trp53 heterozygous mice are suitable for short-term carcinogenicity tests using positive carcinogens, and that the best result using MNU, a positive carcinogen, might have a single dose of 50 mg/kg.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na-Won Kim
- Department of Laboratory Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sun-Min Seo
- Department of Laboratory Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun-Seon Yoo
- Department of Laboratory Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ah-Reum Kang
- Department of Laboratory Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji-Hun Lee
- Department of Laboratory Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae-Hoon Lee
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Byeong-Cheol Kang
- Graduate School of Translational Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Han-Woong Lee
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yang-Kyu Choi
- Department of Laboratory Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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Zheng J, Yue R, Yang R, Wu Q, Wu Y, Huang M, Chen X, Lin W, Huang J, Chen X, Jiang Y, Yang B, Liao Y. Visualization of Zika Virus Infection via a Light-Initiated Bio-Orthogonal Cycloaddition Labeling Strategy. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:940511. [PMID: 35875483 PMCID: PMC9305201 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.940511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) is a re-emerging flavivirus that leads to devastating consequences for fetal development. It is crucial to visualize the pathogenicity activities of ZIKV ranging from infection pathways to immunity processes, but the accurate labeling of ZIKV remains challenging due to the lack of a reliable labeling technique. We introduce the photo-activated bio-orthogonal cycloaddition to construct a fluorogenic probe for the labeling and visualizing of ZIKV. Via a simple UV photoirradiation, the fluorogenic probes could be effectively labeled on the ZIKV. We demonstrated that it can be used for investigating the interaction between ZIKV and diverse cells and avoiding the autofluorescence phenomenon in traditional immunofluorescence assay. Thus, this bioorthogonal-enabled labeling strategy can serve as a promising approach to monitor and understand the interaction between the ZIKV and host cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judun Zheng
- Molecular Diagnosis and Treatment Center for Infectious Diseases, Dermatology Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Rui Yue
- Molecular Diagnosis and Treatment Center for Infectious Diseases, Dermatology Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ronghua Yang
- Department of Burn and Plastic Surgery, Guangzhou First People’s Hospital, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qikang Wu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First People’s Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, China
- Department of Burn Surgery & Department of Rheumatology, The First People’s Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, China
| | - Yunxia Wu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First People’s Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, China
- Department of Burn Surgery & Department of Rheumatology, The First People’s Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, China
| | - Mingxing Huang
- Department of Infectious Disease, the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Xu Chen
- Department of Infectious Disease, the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Weiqiang Lin
- Molecular Diagnosis and Treatment Center for Infectious Diseases, Dermatology Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jialin Huang
- Molecular Diagnosis and Treatment Center for Infectious Diseases, Dermatology Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaodong Chen
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First People’s Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, China
- Department of Burn Surgery & Department of Rheumatology, The First People’s Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, China
- *Correspondence: Xiaodong Chen, ; Yideng Jiang, ; Bin Yang, ; Yuhui Liao,
| | - Yideng Jiang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Metabolic Cardiovascular Diseases Research, Ningxia Key Laboratory of Vascular Injury and Repair Research, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China
- *Correspondence: Xiaodong Chen, ; Yideng Jiang, ; Bin Yang, ; Yuhui Liao,
| | - Bin Yang
- Molecular Diagnosis and Treatment Center for Infectious Diseases, Dermatology Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Xiaodong Chen, ; Yideng Jiang, ; Bin Yang, ; Yuhui Liao,
| | - Yuhui Liao
- Molecular Diagnosis and Treatment Center for Infectious Diseases, Dermatology Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Infectious Disease, the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Metabolic Cardiovascular Diseases Research, Ningxia Key Laboratory of Vascular Injury and Repair Research, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China
- *Correspondence: Xiaodong Chen, ; Yideng Jiang, ; Bin Yang, ; Yuhui Liao,
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Mwaliko C, Nyaruaba R, Zhao L, Atoni E, Karungu S, Mwau M, Lavillette D, Xia H, Yuan Z. Zika virus pathogenesis and current therapeutic advances. Pathog Glob Health 2021; 115:21-39. [PMID: 33191867 PMCID: PMC7850325 DOI: 10.1080/20477724.2020.1845005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) is an emerging arthropod-borne flavivirus that, upon infection, results in teratogenic effects and neurological disorders. ZIKV infections pose serious global public health concerns, prompting scientists to increase research on antivirals and vaccines against the virus. These efforts are still ongoing as the pathogenesis and immune evasion mechanisms of ZIKV have not yet been fully elaborated. Currently, no specific vaccines or drugs have been approved for ZIKV; however, some are undergoing clinical trials. Notably, several strategies have been used to develop antivirals, including drugs that target viral and host proteins. Additionally, drug repurposing is preferred since it is less costly and takes less time than other strategies because the drugs used have already been approved for human use. Likewise, different platforms have been evaluated for the design of vaccines, including DNA, mRNA, peptide, protein, viral vectors, virus-like particles (VLPSs), inactivated-virus, and live-attenuated virus vaccines. These vaccines have been shown to induce specific humoral and cellular immune responses and reduce viremia and viral RNA both in vitro and in vivo. Importantly, most of these vaccines have entered clinical trials. Understanding the viral disease mechanism will provide better strategies for developing therapeutic agents against ZIKV. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the viral pathogenesis of ZIKV and current advancements in the development of vaccines and drugs against this virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Mwaliko
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China,International College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China,Microbiology, Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Raphael Nyaruaba
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China,International College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China,Microbiology, Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Lu Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China,International College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Evans Atoni
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China,International College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China,Microbiology, Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Samuel Karungu
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China,International College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China,Microbiology, Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Matilu Mwau
- Center for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases Control Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Dimitri Lavillette
- CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Virology & Immunology, Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Han Xia
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China,CONTACT Han Xia ; Zhiming Yuan Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhiming Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
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Eckley SS, Villano JS, Kuo NS, Wong KY. Acepromazine and Chlorpromazine as Pharmaceutical-grade Alternatives to Chlorprothixene for Pupillary Light Reflex Imaging in Mice. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR LABORATORY ANIMAL SCIENCE 2020; 59:197-203. [PMID: 31915106 DOI: 10.30802/aalas-jaalas-19-000094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Studies of visual responses in isoflurane-anesthetized mice often use the sedative chlorprothixene to decrease the amount of isoflurane used because excessive isoflurane could adversely affect light-evoked responses. However, data are not available to justify the use of this nonpharmaceutical-grade chemical. The current study tested whether pharmaceutical-grade sedatives would be appropriate alternatives for imaging pupillary light reflexes. Male 15-wk-old mice were injected intraperitoneally with 1 mg/kg chlorprothixene, 5 mg/kg acepromazine, 10 mg/kg chlorpromazine, or saline. After anesthetic induction, anesthesia maintenance used 0.5% and 1% isoflurane for sedative- and saline-injected mice, respectively. A photostimulus (16.0 log photons cm-2 s-1; 470 nm) was presented to the right eye for 20 min, during which the left eye was imaged for consensual pupillary constriction and involuntary pupil drift. Time to immobilization, loss of righting reflex, physiologic parameters, gain of righting reflex, and degree of recovery were assessed also. The sedative groups were statistically indistinguishable for all measures. By contrast, pupillary drift occurred far more often in saline-treated mice than in the sedative groups. Furthermore, saline-treated mice took longer to reach maximal pupil constriction than all sedative groups and had lower heart rates compared with chlorpromazine- and chlorprothixene-sedated mice. Full recovery (as defined by purposeful movement, response to tactile stimuli, and full alertness) was not regularly achieved in any sedative group. In conclusion, at the doses tested, acepromazine and chlorpromazine are suitable pharmaceutical-grade alternatives to chlorprothixene for pupil imaging and conceivably other in vivo photoresponse measurements; however, given the lack of full recovery, lower dosages should be investigated further for use in survival procedures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha S Eckley
- Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Jason S Villano
- Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Nora S Kuo
- Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Kwoon Y Wong
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, and Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan;,
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El-Sakkary N, Chen S, Arkin MR, Caffrey CR, Ribeiro P. Octopamine signaling in the metazoan pathogen Schistosoma mansoni: localization, small-molecule screening and opportunities for drug development. Dis Model Mech 2018; 11:dmm033563. [PMID: 29925529 PMCID: PMC6078403 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.033563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2018] [Accepted: 06/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Schistosomiasis is a tropical disease caused by a flatworm trematode parasite that infects over 200 million people worldwide. Treatment and control of the disease rely on just one drug, praziquantel. The possibility of drug resistance coupled with praziquantel's variable efficacy encourages the identification of new drugs and drug targets. Disruption of neuromuscular homeostasis in parasitic worms is a validated strategy for drug development. In schistosomes, however, much remains to be understood about the organization of the nervous system, its component neurotransmitters and potential for drug discovery. Using synapsin as a neuronal marker, we map the central and peripheral nervous systems in the Schistosoma mansoni adult and schistosomulum (post-infective larva). We discover the widespread presence of octopamine (OA), a tyrosine-derived and invertebrate-specific neurotransmitter involved in neuromuscular coordination. OA labeling facilitated the discovery of two pairs of ganglia in the brain of the adult schistosome, rather than the one pair thus far reported for this and other trematodes. In quantitative phenotypic assays, OA and the structurally related tyrosine-derived phenolamine and catecholamine neurotransmitters differentially modulated schistosomulum motility and length. Similarly, from a screen of 28 drug agonists and antagonists of tyrosine-derivative signaling, certain drugs that act on OA and dopamine receptors induced robust and sometimes complex concentration-dependent effects on schistosome motility and length; in some cases, these effects occurred at concentrations achievable in vivo The present data advance our knowledge of the organization of the nervous system in this globally important pathogen and identify a number of drugs that interfere with tyrosine-derivative signaling, one or more of which might provide the basis for a new chemotherapeutic approach to treat schistosomiasis.This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nelly El-Sakkary
- Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, Macdonald Campus, 21, 111 Lakeshore Road, Ste Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, Canada H9X-3V9
| | - Steven Chen
- Small Molecule Discovery Center, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Michelle R Arkin
- Small Molecule Discovery Center, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Conor R Caffrey
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Department of Pathology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Paula Ribeiro
- Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, Macdonald Campus, 21, 111 Lakeshore Road, Ste Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, Canada H9X-3V9
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Torrey CE, Campbell JA, Hoivik DJ, Miller RT, Allen JS, Mann PC, Selinger K, Rickert D, Savina PM, Santostefano MJ. Evaluation of the Carcinogenic Potential of Clofibrate in the p53+/− Mouse. Int J Toxicol 2016; 24:289-99. [PMID: 16257849 DOI: 10.1080/10915810500210237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
This study was conducted as part of International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) program to evaluate the carcinogenic potential of clofibrate, a nongenotoxic, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) α agonist, following oral administration to p53+ /− heterozygous mice for a minimum of 26 weeks. p-Cresidine, a urinary bladder carcinogen, was given orally at 400 mg/kg/day as a positive control. Initial clofibrate doses were 50, 250, and 400 mg/kg/day for males and 50, 200, and 500 mg/kg/day for females. Due to unexpected mortality during the first week of dosing, clofibrate doses were lowered to 25, 75, and 100 mg/kg/day for males and 25, 75, and 125 mg/kg/day for females. Clinical signs and mortality were greater in p53+ /− than wild-type (WT) mice. With the exception of liver weights, no marked differences in any other parameters either between the sexes or between WT and p53+ /− mice were noted. Moderate increases in liver weights noted in WT males given 100 mg/kg/day clofibrate were not associated with any microscopic changes. No neoplastic response was observed in p53+ /−mice after 6 months of exposure to clofibrate at doses up to 100 mg/kg/day for males and 125 mg/kg/day for females. Transitional-cell hyperplasia and carcinoma of the urinary bladder were noted in both sexes given p-cresidine, demonstrating that the p53+ /− mouse responded to a known mouse carcinogen as expected. Clofibrate produced non-neoplastic findings in the adrenals, pancreas, and prostate, whereas p-cresidine affected the kidney, liver, pancreas, and spleen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla E Torrey
- GlaxoSmithKline, Safety Assessment, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, USA
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Thougaard AV, Christiansen J, Mow T, Hornberg JJ. Validation of a high throughput flow cytometric in vitro micronucleus assay including assessment of metabolic activation in TK6 cells. ENVIRONMENTAL AND MOLECULAR MUTAGENESIS 2014; 55:704-718. [PMID: 25111698 DOI: 10.1002/em.21891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2014] [Revised: 07/22/2014] [Accepted: 07/04/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Genotoxicity is an unacceptable property for new drug candidates and we employ three screening assays during the drug discovery process to identify genotoxicity early and optimize chemical series. One of these methods is the flow cytometric in vitro micronucleus assay for which protocol optimizations have been described recently. Here, we report further validation of the assay in TK6 cells including assessment of metabolic activation. We first optimized assay conditions to allow for testing with and without metabolic activation in parallel in a 96-well plate format. Then, we tested a set of 48 compounds carefully selected to contain known in vivo genotoxins, nongenotoxins and drugs. Avoidance of irrelevant positives, a known issue with mammalian cell-based genotoxicity assays, is important to prevent early deselection of potentially promising compounds. Therefore, we enriched the validation set with compounds that were previously reported to produce irrelevant positive results in mammalian cell-based genotoxicity assays. The resulting dataset was used to set the relevant cut-off values for scoring a compound positive or negative, such that we obtained an optimal balance of high sensitivity (88%) and high specificity (87%). Finally, we tested an additional set of 16 drugs to further probe assay performance and 14 of them were classified correctly. To our knowledge, the present study is the most comprehensive validation of the in vitro flow cytometric micronucleus assay and the first to report parallel assessment with metabolic activation in reasonable throughput. The assay allows for rapidly screening novel compounds for genotoxicity and is therefore well-suited for use in early drug discovery projects. Environ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annemette V Thougaard
- Department of Exploratory Toxicology, H. Lundbeck A/S, Ottiliavej 9, DK-2500, Valby, Denmark
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Takasawa H, Suzuki H, Ogawa I, Shimada Y, Kobayashi K, Terashima Y, Matsumoto H, Aruga C, Oshida K, Ohta R, Imamura T, Miyazaki A, Kawabata M, Minowa S, Hayashi M. Evaluation of a liver micronucleus assay in young rats (III): A study using nine hepatotoxicants by the Collaborative Study Group for the Micronucleus Test (CSGMT)/Japanese Environmental Mutagen Society (JEMS)–Mammalian Mutagenicity Study Group (MMS). MUTATION RESEARCH-GENETIC TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MUTAGENESIS 2010; 698:30-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mrgentox.2010.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2010] [Accepted: 02/20/2010] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Gustafsson B, Youens S, Louie AY. Development of contrast agents targeted to macrophage scavenger receptors for MRI of vascular inflammation. Bioconjug Chem 2006; 17:538-47. [PMID: 16536488 PMCID: PMC2556229 DOI: 10.1021/bc060018k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Atherosclerosis is a leading cause of death in the U.S. Because there is a potential to prevent coronary and arterial disease through early diagnosis, there is a need for methods to image arteries in the subclinical stage as well as clinical stage using various noninvasive techniques, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We describe a development of a novel MRI contrast agent targeted to plaques that will allow imaging of lesion formation. The contrast agent is directed to macrophages, one of the earliest components of developing plaques. Macrophages are labeled through the macrophage scavenger receptor A, a macrophage specific cell surface protein, using an MRI contrast agent derived from scavenger receptor ligands. We have synthesized and characterized these contrast agents with a range of relaxivities. In vitro studies show that the targeted contrast agent accumulates in macrophages, and solution studies indicate that micromolar concentrations are sufficient to produce contrast in an MR image. Cell toxicity and initial biodistribution studies indicate low toxicity, no detectable retention in normal blood vessels, and rapid clearance from blood. The promising performance of this contrast agent targeted toward vascular inflammation opens doors to tracking of other inflammatory diseases such as tumor immunotherapy and transplant acceptance using MRI.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Angelique Y. Louie
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA 95616
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