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Updated: Jul 13, 2026
Renal Ischaemia Reperfusion Injury: A Mouse Model of Injury and Regeneration
Published on: June 7, 2014
Detection of early changes in renal function using 99mTc-MAG3 imaging in a murine model of ischemia-reperfusion
John Roberts1, Bo Chen, Lisa M Curtis
1Department of Medicine, Nephrology Research and Training Center, Uniersity of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
Abstract:
Accurate determination of renal function in mice is a major impediment to the use of murine models in acute kidney injury. The purpose of this study was to determine whether early changes in renal function could be detected using dynamic gamma camera imaging in a mouse model of ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. C57BL/6 mice (n = 5/group) underwent a right nephrectomy, followed by either 30 min of I/R injury or sham surgery of the remaining kidney. Dynamic renal studies (21 min, 10 s/frame) were conducted before surgery (baseline) and at 5, 24, and 48 h by injection of (99m)Tc-mercaptoacetyltriglycine (MAG3; approximately 1.0 mCi/mouse) via the tail vein. The percentage of injected dose (%ID) in the kidney was calculated for each 10-s interval after MAG3 injection, using standard region of interest analyses. A defect in renal function in I/R-treated mice was detected as early as 5 h after surgery compared with sham-treated mice, identified by the increased %ID (at peak) in the I/R-treated kidneys at 100 s (P < 0.01) that remained significantly higher than sham-treated mice for the duration of the scan until 600 s (P < 0.05). At 48 h, the renal scan demonstrated functional renal recovery of the I/R mice and was comparable to sham-treated mice. Our study shows that using dynamic imaging, renal dysfunction can be detected and quantified reliably as early as 5 h after I/R insult, allowing for evaluation of early treatment interventions.
Insights
Dynamic gamma camera imaging detects early renal dysfunction in mice after ischemia-reperfusion injury. This method allows for timely evaluation of potential treatments for acute kidney injury.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Medical Imaging
- Experimental Medicine
Background:
- Accurate assessment of renal function in mouse models is crucial for acute kidney injury (AKI) research.
- Current methods face challenges in timely detection of functional changes in murine AKI models.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate dynamic gamma camera imaging for early detection of renal function changes in a mouse model of ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury.
- To establish a reliable method for quantifying renal dysfunction in AKI research.
Main Methods:
- C57BL/6 mice underwent unilateral nephrectomy followed by 30 minutes of renal I/R injury or sham surgery.
- Dynamic renal scintigraphy using (99m)Tc-mercaptoacetyltriglycine (MAG3) was performed at baseline and 5, 24, and 48 hours post-surgery.
- Quantification of kidney uptake (% injected dose) was performed using region of interest analysis.
Main Results:
- Renal dysfunction was detected as early as 5 hours post-I/R injury, indicated by significantly increased MAG3 uptake in the injured kidneys compared to sham controls.
- This elevated uptake persisted throughout the 21-minute scan duration.
- By 48 hours, renal function in I/R-injured mice showed significant recovery, comparable to sham-treated mice.
Conclusions:
- Dynamic gamma camera imaging reliably detects and quantifies renal dysfunction early after I/R injury in mice.
- This imaging technique provides a valuable tool for evaluating the efficacy of early therapeutic interventions in AKI models.
- The findings support the use of dynamic renal scintigraphy for advancing AKI research in preclinical settings.
