99mTc-interleukin-2 scintigraphy for the in vivo imaging of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques

Abstract

99mTc-IL2 accumulates in vulnerable carotid plaques; this accumulation is correlated with the amount of IL2R+ cells and is influenced by lipid-lowering treatment with a statin.

N-(4-18F-Fluorobenzoyl)Interleukin-2 for PET of Human-Activated T Lymphocytes

“…Indeed, studies performed with either 99m Tc-labeled or 123 I-labeled IL2 in over 800 patients clearly showed the clinical potential and utility of this radiopharmaceutical without any adverse side effect (5,7,8,38).…”

“…In particular, scintigraphy using radiolabeled IL2 has already demonstrated its clinical utility and potential for diagnostic and prognostic purposes and for therapy follow-up. 123 I-IL2 and 99m Tc-IL2 were used mostly for the diagnosis of chronic autoimmune diseases, such as insulitis in type 1 diabetes (4), celiac disease (5), Hasimoto thyroiditis (6), Crohn disease (7), and vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques (8). Despite the good clinical results, routine application of this technique was limited because of complex labeling procedures and the low spatial resolution of SPECT.…”

Role of Inflammation in Atherosclerosis

“…T cells in plaque may encounter antigens, such as oxidized LDL (OxLDL). The number of activated T cells expressing the IL-2 receptor (CD25) is influenced by lipid-lowering treatment with statins and is correlated with 99m Tc-labeled IL-2 accumulation in vulnerable carotid artery plaques (42). Moreover, a T-cell response can be triggered by heat shock proteins of endogenous or microbial origins (43).…”

Adverse cardiovascular effects of anabolic steroids: pathophysiology imaging

“…Tc-Il2 (SPECT) [30] USPIO (MRI) [33] Myocardial Apoptosis [63] 99m Tc-Annexin-V(SPECT) [67] RAS activity [54] 99m Tc-losartan (SPECT) [59] Hypertrophy Echocardiography [54] Dysfunction Echocardiography [55,60] CPT, cold pressure test; FDG, fluorodeoxyglucose; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging; PET, positron emission tomography; RAS, renin-angiotensin system; SPECT, single-photon emission computed tomography; USPIO, ultra-small superparamagnetic particles of iron oxide; VCAM-1, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1.…”

“…In a recent study, 99m Tc-interleukin-2 single-photon emissioncomputed tomography (SPECT) was found to be able to depict T-lymphocyte content within atherosclerotic plaques in humans [30]. This technique may enable clinicians to detect active inflammation within the atherosclerotic plaque.…”