Thomas Kaulisch1, Heiko G. Niessen1,
David Kind1, Michael Neumaier1, Julia Tillmanns1,
Lothar Kussmaul2, Simon Melov3, Detlef Stiller1
1In-Vivo Imaging Unit, Dept. of Drug
Discovery Support, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach,
BW, Germany; 2Dept. of CNS Diseases Research, Boehringer Ingelheim
Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach, BW, Germany; 3Buck Institute
for Age Research, Novato, CA, United States
Oxidative
stress induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS) plays an important role in
heart diseases. Because fatty acid oxidation is carried out in the
mitochondria, their dysfunction will have a severe impact on cardiac
function. Because ROS are usually reduced by SOD2, a new mouse model (Fsod2H)
with inducible knock-down of SOD2 gene was generated. In-vivo imaging was
performed from week 32 to 57 of animal age. A significant reduction of heart
contractibility and an increase in heart volume were measured for tgSOD2
mice. Overall, MRI allows for longitudinal quantitative assessment of
functional and structural changes in the mouse heart.