Longitudinal observations of progressive cardiac dysfunction in a cardiomyopathic animal model by self-gated cine imaging based on 11.7-T magnetic resonance imaging

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to longitudinally assess left ventricular function and wall thickness in a hamster model of cardiomyopathy using 11.7-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI were performed for six cardiomyopathic J2N-k hamsters and six J2N-n hamsters at 5, 10, 15, and 20 weeks of age. Echocardiography was also performed at 20 weeks. The ejection fraction (EF) at 15 and 20 weeks of age in J2N-k hamsters showed a significant decrease compared with those in controls. Conversely, the end-systolic and end-diastolic volumes in cardiomyopathic hamsters showed a significant increase compared with those in controls. Moreover, the heart walls of J2N-k hamsters at 15 and 20 weeks were thicker than those of controls at end-systole; however, there were no significant differences at end-diastole. Optical microscopy with Masson’s trichrome staining depicted no fibrosis in the control myocardium, although it showed interstitial fibrosis in the 20-week-old J2N-k cardiomyopathic myocardium. There were no differences in EF and the wall thickness observed on MRI and those observed on echocardiography. These results indicate the presence of systolic dysfunction in cardiomyopathic hamsters. Self-gated cine imaging based on 11.7-T MRI can be used for serial measurements of cardiac function and wall thickness in a cardiomyopathic model.

Preclinical magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy in the fields of radiological technology, medical physics, and radiology

“…Recently, several imaging modalities, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) [ 1 – 3 ], radiography, computed tomography (CT) [ 4 – 9 ], positron emission tomography (PET) [ 10 , 11 ], single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) [ 12 , 13 ], electron microscopy, autoradiography, optical imaging, and ultrasound (US) [ 14 – 17 ], have been applied in biomedical, genetic, toxicologic, cancer, cardiology, and pharmacological research worldwide. These are all noninvasive imaging modalities with proven clinical applications that have been extended to in vivo and ex vivo research specimens as small as mice, rats, and marmosets [ 9 , 18 , 19 ].…”

“…Also, MRI can provide high-resolution images of the heart and surrounding structures, allowing for detailed analysis of cardiac function, morphology, and tissue composition. For assessment of cardiac function, MRI can be used to assess various aspects of cardiac function, such as cardiac output, left-ventricular ejection fraction, and myocardial strain [ 16 , 17 , 33 , 34 , 61 ] (Fig. 5 F) Furthermore, MRI can be used to characterize various aspects of cardiac tissue, such as fibrosis, inflammation, and lipid deposition for characterization of cardiac tissue.…”

Conditions for late gadolinium enhancement MRI in myocardial infarction model rats that better reflect microscopic tissue staining

“…It can provide a variety of information such as cardiac function 9 , relaxation time measurement 10,11 , strain analysis 12,13 , and flow velocity measurement 14,15 . In the clinical setting, CMR has also been used in preclinical studies on the animal heart [16][17][18][19][20][21] . One CMR technique that highlights the area of myocardial injury is late gadolinium enhancement (LGE).…”

Evaluation of Cardiac Function in Young Mdx Mice Using MRI with Feature Tracking and Self-Gated Magnetic Resonance Cine Imaging

“…Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging is used to diagnose various cardiac diseases, and its usefulness in DCM has been reported [ 12 , 13 , 14 ]. The evaluation of cardiac function using CMR in mice is as reproducible as it is in humans [ 15 ] and has also been used to evaluate the pathogenesis of DCM [ 16 , 17 ]. In CMR, the evaluation of cardiac function can be quantified, including the left ventricular ejection fraction and strain analysis.…”