Hirotada G. Fujii1,
Miho C. Emoto1, Mayumi Yamato2, Ken-ichi Yamada2
1Center
for Medical Education, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Hokkiado, Japan; 2Faculty
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
Methamphetamine (METH)-induced neurotoxicity is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and enhanced oxidative stress. The aims of the present study were to examine the redox status in the METH-treated mouse brain using the redox-sensitive imaging probe 3-methoxycarbonyl-2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-piperidine-1-oxyl (MCP), and to noninvasively visualize brain redox status with a three-dimensional electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) imaging system. Half-life mapping of blood-brain-barrier-permeable MCP in METH-treated mice was obtained from a series of temporal EPR images of mouse heads at an interval of 20 s. The obtained half-life map of MCP clearly visualized the effect of METH treatment on the redox status in the mouse brain.