Kevin S. Tang1, Dorit Granot2,
Shauna L. Quinn2, Erik M. Shapiro2,3
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University,
New Haven, CT, United States; 2Department of Diagnostic Radiology,
Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States; 3Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
In stroke, significant brain damage is caused by immune cell infiltration. MRI-based cell tracking using iron oxide particles has been shown to be a promising imaging modality for visualizing this phenomenon. The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using MPIOs to monitor immune cell infiltration into ET-1 induced, focal cortical stroke in rats. MPIO induced signal voids were present four days following stroke. This coincides with the known monocyte infiltration kinetics into stroke lesions. IHC confirmed that MPIOs were endocytosed within brain resident immune cells.