Key result
Cowpea mosaic virus nanoparticles showed increased uptake in atherosclerotic lesions compared with nonlesion vasculature, correlating with increased surface vimentin expression.
Why the study?
Do cowpea mosaic virus nanoparticles interact with surface vimentin and inflammatory cells in atherosclerotic lesions?
Do cowpea mosaic virus nanoparticles interact with surface vimentin and inflammatory cells in atherosclerotic lesions?
Cowpea mosaic virus nanoparticles demonstrate potential as a targeted imaging probe for early atherosclerotic lesions by binding to upregulated surface vimentin on inflammatory cells.
May inform vimentin-targeted nanoparticle imaging for atherosclerosis; leaves open translation from animal data.
AIMS: Detection of atherosclerosis has generally been limited to the late stages of development, after cardiovascular symptoms present or a clinical event occurs. One possibility for early detection is the use of functionalized nanoparticles. The aim of this study was the early imaging of atherosclerosis using nanoparticles with a natural affinity for inflammatory cells in the lesion. MATERIALS & METHODS: We investigated uptake of cowpea mosaic virus by macrophages and foam cells in vitro and correlated this with vimentin expression. We also examined the ability of cowpea mosaic virus to interact with atherosclerotic lesions in a murine model of atherosclerosis. RESULTS & CONCLUSION: We found that uptake of cowpea mosaic virus is increased in areas of atherosclerotic lesion. This correlated with increased surface vimentin in the lesion compared with nonlesion vasculature. In conclusion, cowpea mosaic virus and its vimentin-binding region holds potential for use as a targeting ligand for early atherosclerotic lesions, and as a probe for detecting upregulation of surface vimentin during inflammation.
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Plummer et al. (2012) studied Atherosclerosis. Cowpea mosaic virus nanoparticles vs. Nonlesion vasculature was evaluated on Uptake of cowpea mosaic virus and correlation with surface vimentin. Cowpea mosaic virus nanoparticles showed increased uptake in atherosclerotic lesions compared with nonlesion vasculature, correlating with increased surface vimentin expression.
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