Abstract
Simple SummaryCardiovascular diseases are the first cause of morbimortality worldwide. They are mainly caused by atherosclerosis, with progressive plaque formation in the arterial wall. In this context, several imaging techniques have been developed to screen, detect and quantify atherosclerosis. Early screening improves primary prevention and promotes the prescription of adequate medication before adverse clinical events. In this review, we focus on the imaging of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, an adhesion molecule involved in the first stages of the development of atherosclerosis. This molecule could therefore be a promising target to detect early atherosclerosis non-invasively. Potential clinical applications are critically discussed.Atherosclerosis is a progressive chronic arterial disease characterised by atheromatous plaque formation in the intima of the arterial wall. Several invasive and non-invasive imaging techniques have been developed to detect and characterise atherosclerosis in the vessel wall: anatomic/structural imaging, functional imaging and molecular imaging. In molecular imaging, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) is a promising target for the non-invasive detection of atherosclerosis and for the assessment of novel antiatherogenic treatments. VCAM-1 is an adhesion molecule expressed on the activated endothelial surface that binds leucocyte ligands and therefore promotes leucocyte adhesion and transendothelial migration. Hence, for several years, there has been an increase in molecular imaging methods for detecting VCAM-1 in MRI, PET, SPECT, optical imaging and ultrasound. The use of microparticles of iron oxide (MPIO), ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (USPIO), microbubbles, echogenic immunoliposomes, peptides, nanobodies and other nanoparticles has been described. However, these approaches have been tested in animal models, and the remaining challenge is bench-to-bedside development and clinical applicability.
Highlights
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the first cause of morbimortality worldwide [1,2]
We focus on the vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), a protein that can be a promising target to detect early and advanced atherosclerotic lesions by non-invasive imaging techniques
This study revealed that MBcAbVCAM-1-5 detected VCAM-1 expression in early and established atherosclerotic lesions in vivo and ex vivo, but it is not yet ready for clinical translation because the atherosclerosis developed in the mouse model studied is not similar to human atherosclerosis [106]
Summary
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the first cause of morbimortality worldwide [1,2]. While age-standardised death rates have been decreasing since 1987 due to progress in treatment and primary prevention [6,7], there has been a recent increase in this rate [4]. Several risk factors increase the likelihood of developing atherosclerosis. It is important to control risk factors adequately to prevent the development of atherosclerosis, which causes cardiovascular events [10]. The Screening for Heart Attack Prevention and Education (SHAPE) task force has demonstrated that even low risk patients can suffer from cardiovascular problems [11]. Screening permits the enhancement of primary prevention and the initiation of adequate medication management before clinical events. We focus on the vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), a protein that can be a promising target to detect early and advanced atherosclerotic lesions by non-invasive imaging techniques
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