Why the study?
Can a Visipaque-based nanoparticle contrast agent effectively detect macrophages in atherosclerotic lesions using CT?
Can a Visipaque-based nanoparticle contrast agent effectively detect macrophages in atherosclerotic lesions using CT?
A novel Visipaque-based nanoparticle contrast agent shows promise for noninvasive CT imaging of macrophage-rich atherosclerotic plaques in a preclinical model.
Supports further development of nanoparticle CT contrast for plaque macrophages; leaves open human applicability.
= 4) were fed a normal chow diet and used as controls. CT scans before and 2 h after Visipaque injection, followed by nanoparticle imaging 1 h later. Macrophages were counted using immunohistology with an anti-CD68 monoclonal antibody. The diameter of the nanoparticle agent was approximately 150 mM, and 90% varied broadly between 69 and 248 nm. In vitro experiments demonstrated that the nanoparticles had low cellular toxicity and were effectively endocytosed by macrophages in a time- and dose-dependent manner. In vivo, CT imaging demonstrated that the nanoparticle density was higher in the aortic wall plaques in atherosclerotic rabbits than in control rabbits. The histologic staining confirmed successful atherosclerosis modeling in rabbits and abundant macrophage infiltration in the aortic wall, preferentially taking up the nanoparticles. In conclusion, this study suggests that the novel nanoparticles could be a promising, effective contrast agent for the detection of macrophages in atherosclerotic plaques using CT.
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Liang et al. (2025) studied this question.
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