Noninvasive Imaging of Heterotopic Ossification and Targeted Intervention

摘要

Heterotopic bone can form in muscle or other soft tissue that is adjacent to a fracture, blast wound, or amputation injury. This condition causes severe pain and disability. Chemokine-directed stem cell homing is an important early stage of heterotopic bone formation. CXCR4 is the most important chemokine in this procedure. Noninvasive evaluation of CXCR4 status is important for early diagnosis and treatment. We have synthesized peptide- based CXCR4 imaging agents and labeled them with near-infrared dye for in vitro and in vivo studies. Cell studies have demonstrated that these agents bind to CXCR4+ cells. Whole-body near-infrared optical images have shown high signal intensity from CXCR4+ disease sites and the liver region. Noninvasive target- specific molecular imaging has been achieved in both in vitro and in vivo studies. These imaging agents could be helpful in developing therapeutic agents, choosing receptor-positive diseases for therapy, and estimating the biological effects of therapy.