In vivo and in vitro evidence that ⁹⁹mTc-HYNIC-interleukin-2 is able to detect T lymphocytes in vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques of the carotid artery

Glaudemans, Andor WJM; Bonanno, Elena; Galli, Filippo; Zeebregts, Clark J; de Vries, Erik FJ; Koole, Michel; Luurtsema, Gert; Boersma, Hendrikus H; Taurino, Maurizio; Slart, Riemer HJA; Signore, Alberto

doi:10.1007/s00259-014-2764-0

In vivo and in vitro evidence that ⁹⁹mTc-HYNIC-interleukin-2 is able to detect T lymphocytes in vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques of the carotid artery

Author:

Glaudemans, Andor WJM

Bonanno, Elena ; Galli, Filippo ; Zeebregts, Clark J ; de Vries, Erik FJ ; Koole, Michel ; Luurtsema, Gert ; Boersma, Hendrikus H ; Taurino, Maurizio ; Slart, Riemer HJA ; Signore, Alberto

Keywords:

Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging, Tc-99m-HYNIC-IL-2, Atherosclerosis, Vulnerable plaque, SPECT/CT, POSITRON-EMISSION-TOMOGRAPHY, TC-99M-INTERLEUKIN-2 SCINTIGRAPHY, TC-99M-LABELED INTERLEUKIN-8, MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION, ANNEXIN-V, INFLAMMATION, I-123-INTERLEUKIN-2, DISEASE, LESIONS, FLUORODEOXYGLUCOSE, Aged, Autoradiography, Biological Transport, Carotid Arteries, Female, Humans, Interleukin-12, Male, Middle Aged, Multimodal Imaging, Organotechnetium Compounds, Plaque, Atherosclerotic, T-Lymphocytes, Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon, Tomography, X-Ray Computed, 0299 Other Physical Sciences, 1103 Clinical Sciences, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging

Abstract:

Recent advances in basic science have established that inflammation plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Inflammatory cells are thought to be responsible for the transformation of a stable plaque into a vulnerable one. Lymphocytes constitute at least 20 % of infiltrating cells in these vulnerable plaques. Therefore, the interleukin-2 (IL-2) receptor, being overexpressed on activated T lymphocytes, may represent an attractive biomarker for plaque vulnerability. The aim of this study was to evaluate the specificity of radiolabelled IL-2 [(99m)Tc-hydrazinonicotinamide (HYNIC)-IL-2] for imaging the lymphocytic infiltration in carotid plaques in vivo by planar and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/CT imaging and ex vivo by microSPECT and autoradiography.