Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Protease-Mediated Lung Tissue Inflammation and Injury

Angélique Rivot (1) , Natacha Jugniot (1) , Samuel Jacoutot (2) , Nicolas Vanthuyne (3) , Philippe Massot (1) , Philippe Mellet (1) , Sylvain R.A. Marque (2) , Gérard Audran (2) , Pierre Voisin (1) , Marie Delles (4) , Gilles Devouassoux (4) , Eric Thiaudiere (1) , Abderrazzak Bentaher (4) , Elodie Parzy (1)

1 CRMSB - Centre de résonance magnétique des systèmes biologiques
2 ICR - Institut de Chimie Radicalaire
3 ISM2 - Institut des Sciences Moléculaires de Marseille
4 PI3 - Physiopathologie de l'immunodépression associée aux réponses inflammatoires systémiques - EA 7426

Pulmonary inflammation usually involves strong neutrophil recruitment with a marked release of proteases such as neutrophil elastase (NE). Noninvasive in vivo assessment of unregulated elastase activity in the lungs would provide a valuable diagnostic tool. Here, it is proposed to use Overhauser-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (OMRI) in mice where inflammation was induced by the instillation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). OMRI contrast in the lungs was generated by a dedicated NE free radical substrate. The free radical decayed more rapidly in LPS-treated mouse lungs than in control mice, indicating the occurrence of increased proteolysis under inflammation. Preclinical detection of abnormal proteolysis opens the way for new diagnosis modality and antiprotease testing in vivo.

Domains: Life Sciences [q-bio]

Angélique Rivot, Natacha Jugniot, Samuel Jacoutot, Nicolas Vanthuyne, Philippe Massot, et al.. Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Protease-Mediated Lung Tissue Inflammation and Injury. ACS Omega, 2021, 6 (23), pp.15012 - 15016. ⟨10.1021/acsomega.1c01150⟩. ⟨hal-03366656⟩