Yi Xin1, Kiarash Emami1, Puttisarn Mongkolwisetwara1, Harrilla Profka1, Garrett Greenan, Stephen J. Kadlecek1, Stephen Pickup1, Brian J. Bolognese2, Edward R. Long III2
1Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States; 2Respiratory Therapeutic Area, GlaxoSmithKline, King of Prussia, PA, United States; 3Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
Changes in pulmonary microstructure are examined in mice chronically exposed to cigarette smoke using HP 3He diffusion MRI.The smoked mice show significantly larger 3He ADC values both at high and low pulmonary pressure levels reflecting enlarged size of alveolar and small airways, as well as a higher growth rate of ADC as a function of pressure illustrating larger compliance. These results are supported by histology. We conclude that 3He ADC can serve as a useful biomarker to elucidate underlying remodeling of lung tissue resulting from smoking.