Purpose A novel technique for highly sensitive detection of multi-resonant fluorine imaging agents was designed and tested with the use of dual-frequency 19F/1H ultra-short echo times (UTE) sampled with a balanced steady-state free precession (SSFP) pulse sequence and 3D radial readout. Methods Feasibility of 3D radial balanced UTE-SSFP imaging was demonstrated for a phantom comprising liquid perfluorooctyl bromide (PFOB). Sensitivity of the pulse sequence was measured and compared to other sequences imaging the PFOB (CF2)6 line group including UTE radial gradient-echo (GRE) at α=30°, as well as Cartesian GRE, balanced SSFP, and fast spin-echo (FSE). The PFOB CF3 peak was also sampled with FSE. Results The proposed balanced UTE-SSFP technique exhibited a relative detection sensitivity of 51 μmolPFOB−1min−1/2 (α=30°), at least twice that of other sequence types with either 3D radial (UTE GRE: 20 μmolPFOB−1min−1/2) or Cartesian k-space filling (GRE: 12 μmolPFOB−1min−1/2; FSE: 16 μmolPFOB−1min−1/2 balanced SSFP: 23 μmolPFOB−1min−1/2 In vivo imaging of angiogenesis-targeted PFOB nanoparticles was demonstrated in a rabbit model of cancer on a clinical 3T scanner. Conclusion A new dual 19F/1H balanced UTE-SSFP sequence manifests high SNR, with detection sensitivity more than twofold better than traditional techniques, and alleviates imaging problems caused by dephasing in complex spectra.

In the extension phase of acute kidney injury, microvascular thrombosis, inflammation, vasoconstriction, and vascular endothelial cell dysfunction promote progressive damage to renal parenchyma after reperfusion. In this study, we hypothesized that direct targeting and pharmaceutical knockdown of activated thrombin at the sites of injury with a selective nanoparticle (NP)-based thrombin inhibitor, PPACK (phenylalanine-proline-arginine-chloromethylketone), would improve kidney reperfusion and protect renal function after transient warm ischemia in rodent models. Saline- or plain NP-treated animals were employed as controls. In vivo 19F magnetic resonance imaging revealed that kidney nonreperfusion was evident within 3 h after global kidney reperfusion at 34 ± 13% area in the saline group and 43 ± 12% area in the plain NP group and substantially reduced to 17 ± 4% (∼50% decrease, P < 0.05) in the PPACK NP pretreatment group. PPACK NP pretreatment prevented an increase in serum creatinine concentration within 24 h after ischemia-reperfusion, reflecting preserved renal function. Histologic analysis illustrated substantially reduced intrarenal thrombin accumulation within 24 h after reperfusion for PPACK NP-treated kidneys (0.11% ± 0.06%) compared with saline-treated kidneys (0.58 ± 0.37%). These results suggest a direct role for thrombin in the pathophysiology of AKI and a nanomedicine-based preventative strategy for improving kidney reperfusion after transient warm ischemia.

Aim To develop a fibrin-specific urokinase nanomedicine thrombolytic agent. Materials & Methods In vitro fibrin-clot dissolution studies were utilized to develop and characterize simultaneous coupling and loading of anti-fibrin monoclonal antibody and urokinase onto perfluorocarbon nanoparticle (NP) surface. In vivo pharmacokinetics and fibrin-specific targeting of the nanolytic agent was studied in dogs. Results Simultaneous coupling of up to 40 anti-fibrin antibodies and 400 urokinase enzymes per perfluorocarbon NP produced an effective targeted nanolytic agent with no significant surface protein–protein interference. Fibrin clot dissolution was not improved by increasing homing capacity from 10 to 40 antibodies/NP, but increasing enzymatic payload from 100 to 400/NP resulted in maximized lytic effect. Fluorescent microscopy showed that rhodamine-labeled urokinase nanoparticles densely decorated the intraluminal thrombus in canine clots in vivo analogous to the fibrin pattern, while an irrelevant-targeted agent had negligible binding. Conclusion This agent offers a vascularly constrained, simple to administer, low-dose nanomedicine approach that may present an attractive alternative for treating acute stroke victims.

Currently, there are no generally applicable noninvasive methods for defining the relationship between atherosclerotic vascular damage and risk of focal thrombosis. Herein, we demonstrate methods to delineate the progression and regression of vascular damage in response to an atherogenic diet by quantifying the in vivo accumulation of semipermeable 200-300 nm perfluorocarbon core nanoparticles (PFC-NP) in ApoE null mouse plaques with [ 19 F] magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Permeability to PFC-NP remained minimal until 12 weeks on diet, then increased rapidly following 12 weeks, but regressed to baseline within 8 weeks after diet normalization. Markedly accelerated clotting (53.3% decrease in clotting time) was observed in carotid artery preparations of fat-fed mice subjected to photochemical injury as defined by the time to flow cessation. For all mice on and off diet, an inverse linear relationship was observed between the permeability to PFC-NP and accelerated thrombosis (P = 0.02). Translational feasibility for quantifying plaque permeability and vascular damage in vivo was demonstrated with clinical 3 T MRI of PFC-NP accumulating in plaques of atherosclerotic rabbits. These observations suggest that excessive permeability to PFC-NP may indicate prothrombotic risk in damaged atherosclerotic vasculature, which resolves within weeks after dietary

Purpose To improve 19F flip angle calibration and compensate for B1 inhomogeneities in quantitative 19F MRI of sparse molecular epitopes with perfluorocarbon (PFC) nanoparticle (NP) emulsion contrast agents. Materials and Methods Flip angle sweep experiments on PFC-NP point source phantoms with three custom-designed 19F/1H dual-tuned coils revealed a difference in required power settings for 19F and 1H nuclei, which was used to calculate a calibration ratio specific for each coil. An image-based correction technique was developed using B1-field mapping on 1H to correct for 19F and 1H images in two phantom experiments. Results Optimized 19F peak power differed significantly from that of 1H power for each coil (p<0.05). A ratio of 19F/1H power settings yielded a coil-specific and spatially independent calibration value (surface: 1.48±0.06; semi-cylindrical: 1.71±0.02, single-turn-solenoid: 1.92±0.03). 1H-image-based B1 correction equalized the signal intensity of 19F images for two identical 19F PFC-NP samples placed in different parts of the field, which were offset significantly by ~66% (p<0.001) before correction. Conclusion 19F flip angle calibration and B1-mapping compensations to the 19F images employing the more abundant 1H signal as a basis for correction result in a significant change in the quantification of sparse 19F MR signals from targeted PFC NP emulsions.