Noninvasive Imaging of Colitis Using Multispectral Optoacoustic Tomography

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Imaging
• Gastroenterology

Background:

• Noninvasive imaging is crucial for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) management.
• Current methods like MRI and PET have limitations in detecting early intestinal inflammation or dysplastic changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate multispectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT) for detecting and assessing colitis severity.
• To determine MSOT's utility as a noninvasive tool for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) evaluation.

Main Methods:

• Colitis was induced in C57B/6 mice using *Bacteroides fragilis* and antibiotics.
• Mice were imaged with MSOT to detect intestinal inflammation.
• MSOT findings were validated using colonoscopy and histology.

Main Results:

• MSOT detected increased mesenteric and colonic vascularity in mice with colitis.
• A significant increase in oxygenated hemoglobin signal intensity was observed by MSOT.
• MSOT results correlated with colonoscopy and histological findings of inflammation and vascular lesions.

Conclusions:

• MSOT accurately identified and assessed colitis severity in a mouse model.
• MSOT shows potential as a sensitive and accurate noninvasive imaging tool for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
• Further development in tissue penetration could enhance MSOT's clinical applicability for IBD patients.