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Establishment and Validation of a Rat Model of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Associated with Pulmonary Fibrosis
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Apoptotic PET Imaging of Rat Pulmonary Fibrosis With [18F]ML-8

Ying Xiong1, Dahong Nie1, Shaoyu Liu1

  • 11 Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Translational Application of Medical Radiopharmaceuticals and Department of Medical Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.

Molecular Imaging
|October 24, 2018
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging using 2-(3-[18F]fluoropropyl)-2-methyl-malonic acid ([18F]ML-8) can noninvasively diagnose pulmonary fibrosis in rats. This novel imaging agent shows higher uptake in fibrotic lungs compared to controls.

Area of Science:

  • Medical Imaging
  • Radiochemistry
  • Pulmonary Medicine

Background:

  • Pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive lung disease with limited diagnostic tools.
  • Noninvasive imaging is crucial for early detection and monitoring of fibrotic lung diseases.
  • Developing novel PET tracers is essential for improving diagnostic accuracy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of 2-(3-[18F]fluoropropyl)-2-methyl-malonic acid ([18F]ML-8) positron emission tomography (PET) for diagnosing rat pulmonary fibrosis.
  • To compare the diagnostic performance of [18F]ML-8 PET with [18F]FDG PET in a bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis rat model.

Main Methods:

  • A bleomycin (BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis rat model was established.
  • Rats underwent PET/CT imaging using either [18F]ML-8 or [18F]FDG.
  • Lung tissues were analyzed histologically, and hydroxyproline content and apoptosis rates were measured.

Main Results:

  • [18F]ML-8 showed significantly higher lung uptake in BLM-treated rats compared to controls (P < .05).
  • The lung-to-muscle uptake ratio of [18F]ML-8 was higher than that of [18F]FDG in fibrotic lungs (P < .05).
  • Histological analysis confirmed fibroblast proliferation, collagen deposition, and increased apoptosis in BLM-treated rat lungs.

Conclusions:

  • [18F]ML-8 PET/CT imaging is a valuable tool for the noninvasive diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis in a rat model.
  • This novel PET tracer demonstrates superior performance compared to [18F]FDG for detecting pulmonary fibrosis.
  • Further research may explore [18F]ML-8 for clinical applications in human pulmonary fibrosis.
Keywords:
PET/CT[18F]FDG[18F]ML-8diagnosispulmonary fibrosis

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