A Novel Real-Time Fluorescent Optical Imaging System in Mouse Heart: A Powerful Tool for Studying Coronary Circulation and Cardiac Function

With the advent of tissue regeneration and gene therapy for heart disease, evaluation of coronary circulation and cardiac function in vivo, especially in a disease model, is extremely important. Conventional methods such as microcomputed tomography, high-resolution magnetic resonance angiography, and high-resolution ultrasound have become invaluable tools in cardiovascular research. However, the disadvantages and limitations of these approaches sometimes preclude researchers from conducting important and specific studies on coronary circulation and cardiac function. Therefore, we developed and applied a novel real-time, in vivo fluorescent optical imaging system for use in the mouse cardiovascular system. We report the use of this system for repeatedly assessing coronary circulation, cardiovascular structure, and cardiac function in live mice. First, we evaluated whether our new system can detect coronary vasodilator responses and changes in cardiac wall motion. Anesthesia was induced in C57BL/6 mice by 3.0% sevoflurane inhalation, and the heart was exposed through a left thoracotomy. One hundred microliters of an optical imaging probe (AngioSense-IVM 680, VisEn Medical Inc, Woburn, …