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Published on: September 15, 2023
Quantitative Assessment of Iron-Labeled Stem-Cell Adhesion at the Vessel Wall in a Vascular Flow Model: Correlation
Gerd Grözinger1, Fritz Schick2, Frank Eibofner2
1Division of Diagnostic Radiology, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Section of Experimental Radiology, University of Tübingen, Hoppe-Seyler-Str. 3, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany.
Purpose:
To evaluate the distribution of superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO)-labeled cells in a perfused segment of a porcine artery and to estimate the number of adherent cells by means of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging.
Materials And Methods:
Six vessel specimens (diameters between 0.8 and 1.2 cm) were placed in a bioreactor system, and 2 × 10(4) to 1 × 10(6) SPIO-labeled endothelial colony-forming cells were injected into the artery within the perfused reactor. The area of resulting signal extinctions at the inner wall of the vessels was quantified on MR images by using a high-resolution T2*-weighted sequence with a slice-by-slice approach. After imaging, the labeled cells were quantified histologically.
Results:
The total iron load of each cell was 56.5 pg ± 14.4. In the applied range of 2 × 10(4) to 1 × 10(6) cells per vessel, the area of iron-induced signal extinction at the vessel wall on T2*-weighted imaging corresponded to the histologically detected cell number (r = 0.98, P < .001).
Conclusions:
A correlation between the area of signal extinction and the number of labeled cells at the vessel wall was found. This might help to evaluate dose rates in further clinical applications of intravascular cell-based therapies.
