A nitric oxide-targeted T1 contrast agent for in vivo molecular MR imaging of inflammation in heart failure

Motivation: Nitric oxide appears early in inflammatory diseases. Its detection can enable early disease detection. Due to its transient nature, however, deep-tissue imaging of NO is challenging. Goal(s): We present a MRI contrast agent for targeted imaging of NO. This agent has been validated in vitro and we are exploring in vivo NO imaging. Approach: A mouse myocardial inflammation model was used. NO-activatable agent was injected to investigate contrast enhancement. Histology was done to correlate with MRI. Results: Significant T1 reduction was observed in the inflamed heart compared to control. The contrast agent revealed peak NO production within 3 days after onset of inflammation. Impact: This new NO-activatable T1 contrast agent can be used to study the dynamics of NO in pathological processes. It holds the potential to diagnose inflammatory disease early, characterize stages of inflammation, and ultimately guide the design of anti-inflammation therapeutics.