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Published on: February 23, 2014
(1)H MRI of pneumococcal pneumonia in a murine model
Pasquina Marzola1, Anna Lanzoni, Elena Nicolato
1NMR Laboratory, University of Verona, Verona. Italy. pasquina.marzola@univr.it
Purpose:
To detect and quantify pulmonary lesions due to pneumococcal pneumonia in a murine model by (1)H MRI.
Materials And Methods:
Pneumonia was induced in mice (N = 5) by intranasal administration of about 1 x 10(6) colony-forming units (CFU) of Streptococcus pneumonie. A group of noninfected animals (N = 5) was used as a control group. MRI was performed, 48 hours after infection induction, at 4.7 T. ECG-gated gradient-echo (GRE) sequences with TE = 5 msec were used. After MRI examination, the animals were sacrificed for histological examination.
Results:
Lungs appeared at MRI as regions with signal intensity (SI) at the level of the noise. Lesions appeared as hyperintense regions over the background and were localized mainly in the apical part of the lungs, in the medial and peribronchial regions. The anatomical localization of the lesions was confirmed by histology. The total lesion volume quantified by MRI data correlated with the total lesion volume quantified by histology.
Conclusion:
This work shows that standard (1)H MRI allows detection and quantification of lesions due to pneumococcal pneumonia in mice.
Insights
Standard proton magnetic resonance imaging (¹H MRI) can detect and quantify lung lesions from pneumococcal pneumonia in a mouse model. Histology confirmed MRI findings, showing correlation in lesion volume quantification.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Imaging
- Infectious Disease Research
- Pulmonary Medicine
Background:
- Pneumococcal pneumonia poses a significant health burden.
- Accurate detection and quantification of pulmonary lesions are crucial for understanding disease progression and treatment efficacy.
- Murine models are essential for studying infectious diseases like pneumococcal pneumonia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the capability of standard proton magnetic resonance imaging (¹H MRI) for detecting and quantifying pulmonary lesions in a murine model of pneumococcal pneumonia.
- To compare MRI findings with histological data for validation.
Main Methods:
- Pneumonia was induced in mice (N=5) using Streptococcus pneumoniae intranasally, with a control group (N=5).
- High-resolution MRI was performed at 4.7 T using ECG-gated gradient-echo sequences.
- Lesion localization and volume were assessed and compared with post-mortem histological examination.
Main Results:
- MRI revealed lung lesions as hyperintense regions against background noise, primarily in the apical, medial, and peribronchial areas.
- Histological examination confirmed the anatomical location of the lesions identified by MRI.
- A significant correlation was observed between lesion volumes quantified by MRI and histology.
Conclusions:
- Standard ¹H MRI is a viable method for detecting pulmonary lesions associated with pneumococcal pneumonia in a murine model.
- MRI allows for accurate quantification of lesion volume, which is validated by histological analysis.
- This technique offers a non-invasive approach for assessing pneumococcal pneumonia severity in preclinical studies.
