Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 4, 2025
Quantification of Cerebral Vascular Architecture using Two-photon Microscopy in a Mouse Model of HIV-induced Neuroinflammation
Published on: January 12, 2016
Increased Macrophage-Specific Arterial Infiltration Relates to Noncalcified Plaque and Systemic Immune Activation in
Mabel Toribio1, Moses Q Wilks2, Sandeep Hedgire3
1Metabolism Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Background:
Persistent immune activation is thought to contribute to heightened atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk among people with human immunodeficiency virus (PWH).
Methods:
Participants (≥18 years) with or without human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and without history of clinical ASCVD were enrolled. We hypothesized that increased macrophage-specific arterial infiltration would relate to plaque composition and systemic immune activation among PWH. We applied a novel targeted molecular imaging approach (technetium-99m [99mTc]-tilmanocept single photon emission computed tomography [SPECT]/CT) and comprehensive immune phenotyping.
Results:
Aortic 99mTc-tilmanocept uptake was significantly higher among PWH (n = 20) than participants without HIV (n = 10) with similar 10-year ASCVD risk (P = .02). Among PWH, but not among participants without HIV, noncalcified aortic plaque volume related directly to aortic 99mTc-tilmanocept uptake at different uptake thresholds. An interaction (P = .001) was seen between HIV status and noncalcified plaque volume, but not calcified plaque (P = .83). Systemic levels of caspase-1 (P = .004), CD14-CD16+ (nonclassical/patrolling/homing) monocytes (P = .0004) and CD8+ T cells (P = .005) related positively and CD4+/CD8+ T-cell ratio (P = .02) inversely to aortic 99mTc-tilmanocept uptake volume.
Conclusions:
Macrophage-specific arterial infiltration was higher among PWH and related to noncalcified aortic plaque volume only among PWH. Key systemic markers of immune activation relating to macrophage-specific arterial infiltration may contribute to heightened ASCVD risk among PWH.
Clinical Trials Registration:
NCT02542371.
More Related Videos
07:21Processing of Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid and Matched Blood for Alveolar Macrophage and CD4+ T-cell Immunophenotyping and HIV Reservoir Assessment
Published on: June 23, 2019
12:07A Thin-skull Window Technique for Chronic Two-photon In vivo Imaging of Murine Microglia in Models of Neuroinflammation
Published on: September 19, 2010
