Targeted ultrasound molecular imaging in mouse atherosclerotic plaque model

This study aims to assess the early diagnosis of mouse atherosclerotic plaque through targeted ultrasound molecular imaging. Forty Apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE-/-) mice and 40 C57BL/6 wild type mice were randomly divided into 4 groups, 20 mice per group. Mice included in the study group were fed with high cholesterol diet for 20 weeks, after which the targeted ultrasound microbubbles were prepared. The mice with atherosclerotic plaque were studied with targeted ultrasound molecular imaging in comparison with red oil O staining. The results of targeted ultrasound molecular imaging of atherosclerotic plaque indicate that the GP Ib and GP IIb/IIIa are viable biomarkers for early diagnosis of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque. The targeted ultrasound molecular imaging is worth studying in order to identify the atherosclerotic progress as a noninvasive effective identification method which could be used widely.