Cell Therapy in Murine Atherosclerosis: In Vivo Imaging with High-Resolution Helical SPECT

Purpose: To determine the feasibility of in vivo localization and quantification of indium 111 (111In)-oxine–labeled bone marrow (BM) with high-resolution whole-body helical single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in an established murine model of atherosclerosis and vascular repair. Materials and Methods: The institutional animal care and use committee approved this study. BM from young B6 Rosa 26 Lac Z+/+ mice was radiolabeled with 111In-oxine. On days 1, 4, and 7 after administration of radiolabeled cells, five C57/BL6 apolipoprotein E–deficient mice and five wild-type (WT) control mice were imaged with whole-body high-resolution helical SPECT. Quantification with SPECT was compared with ex vivo analysis by means of gamma counting. Autoradiography and β-galactosidase staining were used to verify donor cell biodistribution. Linear regression was used to assess the correlation between continuous variables. Two-tailed Student t test was used to compare values between groups, and paired two-tail...