Abstract
This review addresses nuclear SPECT and PET imaging in small animals in relation to the atherosclerotic disease process, one of our research topics of interest. Imaging of atherosclerosis in small animal models is challenging, as it operates at the limits of current imaging possibilities regarding sensitivity, and spatial resolution. Several topics are discussed, including technical considerations that apply to image acquisition, reconstruction, and analysis. Moreover, molecules developed for or applied in these small animal nuclear imaging studies are listed, including target-directed molecules, useful for imaging organs or tissues that have elevated expression of the target compared to other tissues, and molecules that serve as substrates for metabolic processes. Differences between animal models and human pathophysiology that should be taken into account during translation from animal to patient as well as differences in tracer behavior in animal vs. man are also described. Finally, we give a future outlook on small animal radionuclide imaging in atherosclerosis, followed by recommendations. The challenges and solutions described might be applicable to other research fields of health and disease as well.
Highlights
Small Animal Radionuclide ImagingNuclear imaging using Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) or Positron Emission Tomography (PET) allows high-sensitivity and quantitative imaging of physiological processes or molecular targets in vivo
Preclinical evaluation of novel radiotracers is a requisite to assess tracer characteristics such as in vivo tracer kinetics, target specificity, stability, and biodistribution. This is greatly facilitated by the widespread use of small animal models of disease as well as the development of state of the art small animal SPECT and PET systems, which allow tracer examination up to sub-mm resolution [1,2,3,4,5,6]
Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which fatty plaques might occlude an artery through continued lipid deposition or sudden rupture of vulnerable plaques
Summary
Nuclear imaging using Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) or Positron Emission Tomography (PET) allows high-sensitivity and (semi-) quantitative imaging of physiological processes or molecular targets in vivo. SPECT and PET can both provide very high sensitivity, even suitable for imaging of very small quantities of radiotracers (nM-pM range), enabling investigation of specific cells or pathophysiological processes Developments in these systems for small animal imaging and in processing of imaging data allow better examination of novel radiotracers. In a preclinical system image quality did not improve for a timing resolution of 260 ps [60] Another difference comprises the small deviation from 180◦ between the annihilating photon pair (non-collinearity) that reduces the spatial resolution for systems with a larger PET ring diameter.
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