Abstract #2479

In Vivo Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Detects Oxidative Stress in Skeletal Muscle After Burn Trauma

Nadeem Khan¹, Sriram P. Mupparaju¹, Dionyssios Mintzopoulos^2,3, Meenu Kesarwani^2,4, Valeria Righi^2,3, Laurence G. Rahme^2,5, Harold M. Swartz¹, A Aria Tzika^2,3

¹EPR Center for Viable Systems, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH, USA; ²NMR Surgical Laboratory, MGH & Shriners Hospitals, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; ³Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Boston, MA, USA; ⁴Molecular Surgical Laboratory, MGH & Shriners Hospitals, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; ⁵Molecular Surgical Laboratory, MGH & Shriners Hospitals, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

Using in vivo electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) on a 1.2 GHz (L-band) EPR spectrometer, we longitudinally evaluated oxidative stress in a burn trauma model to the left hind limb of mice. The EPR measurements confirm genomic results, which indicated down-regulation of antioxidant genes and strongly suggest dysfunction of the mitochondrial oxidative system. Thus, EPR, which allows the direct measurement of tissue parameters such as pO2, redox status, and reactive oxygen species (ROS), may be used to complement nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), to better assess tissue damage and the therapeutic effectiveness of antioxidant agents in burn trauma.