Alkystis Phinikaridou1, Sara Lacerda1, Begoña L Plaza1, Marcelo Andia2, and René M Botnar1
1Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, London, United Kingdom, 2Radiology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
The
extracellular matrix protein (ECM) elastin contributes to 30% of the dry weight
of the vascular wall. Vascular injury leads to de novo synthesis of tropoelastin molecules, the precursor of cross-linked
mature elastin. Cross-linking has been shown to be inhibited in the presence of
inflammation and low-density lipoproteins (LDL), both hallmarks of
atherosclerosis and plaque instability. The accumulation of tropoelastin
molecules in the pathologically altered vessel wall thus, may serve as a new
imaging biomarker to detect atherosclerosis, and potentially plaque instability
[1-4]. In this
study, we developed a novel tropoelastin-specific MR contrast agent and
investigated its merits to quantify disease progression in a murine model of
accelerated of atherosclerosis.
