Abstract
Objectives
To investigate the feasibility of a high resolution optical imaging strategy for myocardial infarction.Background
Near-infrared approaches to imaging cardiovascular disease enable visualization of disease-associated biological processes in vivo. However, even at the scale of small animals, the strong scattering of light prevents high resolution imaging after the first 1-2 mm of tissue, leading to degraded signal localization.Methods
Multispectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT) was used to non-invasively image myocardial infarction (MI) in a murine model of coronary artery ligation at resolutions not possible with current deep-tissue optical imaging methods. Post-MI imaging was based on resolving the spectral absorption signature of a dendritic polyglycerol sulfate-based (dPGS) near-infrared imaging agent targeted to P- and L-selectin.Results
In vivo imaging succeeded in detection of the agent in the injured myocardium after intravenous injection. The high anatomic resolution (Conclusions
MSOT imaging of myocardial infarction provides non-invasive visualization of optical contrast with a high spatial resolution that is not degraded by the scattering of light.