Citation Details

Journal Article

IVIS, RediJect Inflammation Probe, chemiluminescence, XenoLight

Due to complex injurious environment where multiple blast effects interact with the body parallel, blast-induced neurotrauma is a unique clinical entity induced by systemic, local, and cerebral responses. Activation of autonomous nervous system; sudden pressure increase in vital organs such as lungs and liver; and activation of neuroendocrine-immune system are among the most important mechanisms that contribute significantly to molecular changes and cascading injury mechanisms in the brain. It has been hypothesized that vagally mediated cerebral effects play a vital role in the early response to blast: this assumption has been supported by experiments where bilateral vagotomy mitigated bradycardia, hypotension, and apnea, and also prevented excessive metabolic alterations in the brain of animals exposed to blast. Clinical experience suggests specific blast-body-nervous system interactions such as (1) direct interaction with the head either through direct passage of the blast wave through the skull or by causing acceleration and/or rotation of the head; and (2) via hydraulic interaction, when the blast overpressure compresses the abdomen and chest, and transfers its kinetic energy to the body's fluid phase, initiating oscillating waves that traverse the body and reach the brain. Accumulating evidence suggests that inflammation plays important role in the pathogenesis of long-term neurological deficits due to blast. These include memory decline, motor function and balance impairments, and behavioral alterations, among others. Experiments using rigid body- or head protection in animals subjected to blast showed that head protection failed to prevent inflammation in the brain or reduce neurological deficits, whereas body protection was successful in alleviating the blast-induced functional and morphological impairments in the brain.

Journal Article

Xen41, Xen 41, Pseudomonas aeruginosa Xen41, IVIS

BACKGROUND: : Experimental models of intestinal ischemia-reperfusion (IIR) injury are invariably performed in mice harboring their normal commensal flora, even though multiple IIR events occur in humans during prolonged intensive care confinement when they are colonized by a highly pathogenic hospital flora. The aims of this study were to determine whether the presence of the human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the distal intestine potentiates the lethality of mice exposed to IIR and to determine what role any in vivo virulence activation plays in the observed mortality. METHODS: : Seven- to 9-week-old C57/BL6 mice were exposed to 15 minutes of superior mesenteric artery occlusion (SMAO) followed by direct intestinal inoculation of 1.0 x 10 colony-forming unit of P. aeruginosa PAO1 into the ileum and observed for mortality. Reiterative studies were performed in separate groups of mice to evaluate both the migration/dissemination pattern and in vivo virulence activation of intestinally inoculated strains using live photon camera imaging of both a constitutive bioluminescent P. aeruginosa PAO1 derivative XEN41 and an inducible reporter derivative of PAO1, the PAO1/lecA:luxCDABE that conditionally expresses the quorum sensing-dependent epithelial disrupting virulence protein PA 1 Lectin (PA-IL). RESULTS: : Mice exposed to 15 minutes of SMAO and reperfusion with intestinal inoculation of P. aeruginosa had a significantly increased mortality rate (p < 0.001) of 100% compared with <10% for sham-operated mice intestinally inoculated with P. aeruginosa without SMAO and IIR alone (<50%). Migration/dissemination patterns of P. aeruginosa in mice subjected to IIR demonstrated proximal migration of distally injected strains and translocation to mesenteric lymph nodes, liver, spleen, lung, and kidney. A key role for in vivo virulence expression of the barrier disrupting adhesin PA-IL during IIR was established since its expression was enhanced during IR and mutant strains lacking PA-IL displayed attenuated mortality. CONCLUSIONS: : The presence of intestinal P. aeruginosa potentiates the lethal effect of IIR in mice in part due to in vivo virulence activation of its epithelial barrier disrupting protein PA-IL.

Journal Article

ProSense, IntegriSense, MMPSense, Annexin-Vivo, Annexin vivo, IVIS, Animals; Antineoplastic Agents/administration & dosage/pharmacology; Carcinoma/*diagnosis/*metabolism/pathology; Cathepsins/metabolism; Cell Line, Tumor; Disease Progression; Female; Fluorescent Dyes/chemistry/metabolism; Integrin alphaVbeta3/metabolism; Integrins/genetics/*metabolism; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Matrix Metalloproteinases/metabolism; Mice; Mice, Transgenic; *Molecular Imaging; Ovarian Neoplasms/*diagnosis/drug therapy/*metabolism; Peptide Hydrolases/*metabolism; Protein Binding; Tumor Burden/drug effects

Most patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) experience drug-resistant disease recurrence. Identification of new treatments is a high priority, and preclinical studies in mouse models of EOC may expedite this goal. We previously developed methods for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for tumor detection and quantification in a transgenic mouse model of EOC. The goal of this study was to determine whether three-dimensional (3D) fluorescence molecular tomography (FMT) and fluorescent molecular imaging probes could be effectively used for in vivo detection of ovarian tumors and response to therapy. Ovarian tumor-bearing TgMISIIR-TAg mice injected with fluorescent probes were subjected to MRI and FMT. Tumor-specific probe retention was identified in vivo by alignment of the 3D data sets, confirmed by ex vivo fluorescent imaging and correlated with histopathologic findings. Mice were treated with standard chemotherapy, and changes in fluorescent probe binding were detected by MRI and FMT. Ovarian tumors were detected using probes specific for cathepsin proteases, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), and integrin alpha(v)beta(3). Cathepsin and integrin alpha(v)beta(3) probe activation and retention correlated strongly with tumor volume. MMP probe activation was readily detected in tumors but correlated less strongly with tumor volume. Tumor regression associated with response to therapy was detected and quantified by serial MRI and FMT. These results demonstrate the feasibility and sensitivity of FMT for detection and quantification of tumor-associated biologic targets in ovarian tumors and support the translational utility of molecular imaging to assess functional response to therapy in mouse models of EOC.

Journal Article

IVIS, Xen29, Xen 29, Staphylococcus aureus Xen29

The endolysin LysK derived from staphylococcal phage K has previously been shown to have two enzymatic domains, one of which is an N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine amidase and the other a cysteine/histidine-dependant amidohydrolase/peptidase designated CHAP(k). The latter, when cloned as a single-domain truncated enzyme, is conveniently overexpressed in a highly-soluble form. This enzyme was shown to be highly active in vitro against live cell suspensions of S. aureus. In the current study, the IVIS imaging system was used to demonstrate the effective elimination of a lux labeled S. aureus from the nares of BALB/c mice.

Journal Article

OsteoSense, IVIS Animals; Animals, Newborn; Bone Development; Bone Resorption/enzymology; Calcification, Physiologic; Cathepsin K; Cathepsins/genetics/*metabolism; Cell Survival; Cells, Cultured; Cryoultramicrotomy; Female; Femur/pathology; Fluorescence; Humans; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; *Molecular Probe Techniques; Molecular Probes/metabolism; Osteoclasts/cytology/*enzymology; Ovariectomy; RNA, Messenger/genetics/metabolism; Up-Regulation

Osteoclasts degrade bone matrix by demineralization followed by degradation of type I collagen through secretion of the cysteine protease, cathepsin K. Current imaging modalities are insufficient for sensitive observation of osteoclast activity, and in vivo live imaging of osteoclast resorption of bone has yet to be demonstrated. Here, we describe a near-infrared fluorescence reporter probe whose activation by cathepsin K is shown in live osteoclast cells and in mouse models of development and osteoclast upregulation. Cathepsin K probe activity was monitored in live osteoclast cultures and correlates with cathepsin K gene expression. In ovariectomized mice, cathepsin K probe upregulation precedes detection of bone loss by micro-computed tomography. These results are the first to demonstrate non-invasive visualization of bone degrading enzymes in models of accelerated bone loss, and may provide a means for early diagnosis of upregulated resorption and rapid feedback on efficacy of treatment protocols prior to significant loss of bone in the patient.