Lesley May Foley1, T Kevin Hitchens2,3,
John A. Melick4, Chien Ho2,3, Patrick M. Kochanek4,5
1Pittsburgh NMR Center for Biomedical
Research , Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; 2Pittsburgh
NMR Center for Biomedical Research, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh,
PA, United States; 3Department of Biology, Carnegie Mellon
University, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; 4Safar Center for
Resuscitation Research, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine,
Pittsburgh, PA, United States; 5Departments of Critical Care
Medicine, Pediatrics and Anesthesiolgy, University of Pittsburgh School of
Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
Macrophages
may play a role in mediating both early detrimental and delayed beneficial
effects of inflammation. Therefore, the ability to detect the macrophage
response in vivo after traumatic brain injury (TBI) may lead to a greater
understanding of both secondary injury and repair. Here we report the use of
an MRI 19F tracer agent that is taken up by macrophages in vivo to detect the
response to experimentally induced TBI in a mouse model. Preliminary results
indicate presumptive 19F-labeled macrophage infiltration at the
site of injury in the brain which corroborated findings from a recent study
using iron oxide-labeled macrophages.