High-frequency ultrasound detection and follow-up of Wilms' tumor in the mouse

Monitoring therapy with MEK inhibitor U0126 in a novel Wilms tumor model in Wt1 knockout Igf2 transgenic mice using 18F-FDG PET with dual-contrast enhanced CT and MRI: early metabolic response without inhibition of tumor growth

PURPOSE

The understanding of the role of genetic alterations in Wilms tumor development could be greatly advanced using a genetically engineered mouse models that can replicate the development and progression of this disease in human patients and can be monitored using non-invasive structural and molecular imaging optimized for renal tumors.

PROCEDURES

Repetitive dual-contrast computed tomography (CT; intravenous and intraperitoneal contrast), T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and delayed 2-deoxy-2-[(18)F]fluoro-D-glucose ((18)F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) were utilized for characterization of Igf2 biallelic expression/Wt1 knockout mouse model of Wilms tumor. For CT imaging, Ioversol 678 mg/ml in 200 μl was administered i.p. followed by 100 μl injected intravenously at 20 and 15 min prior to imaging, respectively. Static PET imaging studies were acquired at 1, 2, and 3 h after i.v. administration of (18)F-FDG (400 μCi). Coronal and sagittal T1-weighted images (TE/TR 8.5/620 ms) were acquired before and immediately after i.v. injection of 0.4 ml/kg gadopentetate dimeglumine followed by T2-weighted images (TE/TR 60/300 ms). Tumor tissue samples were characterized by histopathology and immunohistochemistry for Glut1, FASN, Ki67, and CD34. In addition, six Wt1-Igf2 mice were treated with a mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK) inhibitor U0126 (50 μmol/kg i.p.) every 4 days for 6 weeks. (18)F-FDG PET/CT imaging was repeated at different days after initiation of therapy with U0126. The percent change of initial tumor volume and SUV was compared to non-treated historic control animals.

RESULTS

Overall, the best tumor-to-adjacent kidney contrast as well as soft tissue contrast for other abdominal organs was achieved using T2-weighted MRI. Delayed (18)F-FDG PET (3-h post (18)F-FDG administration) and dual-contrast CT (intravenous and intraperitoneal contrast) provided a more accurate anatomic and metabolic characterization of Wilms tumors in Wt1-Igf2 mice during early development and progression of renal tumors. Over the 8-month period, 46 Wt1-Igf2 mice and 8 littermate control mice were studied. Renal tumors were identified in 54.3 % of Wt1-Igf2 mice between post-natal 50-100 days. In 35.6 % of Wt1-Igf2 mice, tumors were localized in the right kidney; in 24 %, in the left kidney, while 40.4 % of Wt1-Igf2 mice had bilateral kidney tumors. Metastatic lesions were identified in 15.4 % of Wt1-Igf2 mice. Increased levels of Glut1 and IGF1R expression, high Ki67 labeling index, and a dense network of CD34+ microvessels in renal tumors was consistent with increased (18)F-FDG accumulation. Treatment with a MEK 1/2 inhibitor U0126 did not cause the inhibition of tumor growth as compared to untreated animals. However, after the first three to four doses (~2 weeks of treatment), a decrease in (18)F-FDG SUV was observed, as compared to pre-treatment levels (p < 0.05, paired Student t test), which constitutes a metabolic response. Six weeks later, despite continuing therapy, the (18)F-FDG SUV increased again to previous levels.

CONCLUSIONS

The optimized dual contrast PET/CT imaging with early post i.v. and i.p. contrast CT and 3 h delayed PET imaging after (18)F-FDG administration provides a sensitive and reliable method for detecting early tumor lesions in this endogenous mouse model of Wilms tumor and for monitoring their growth in response to targeted therapies. Therapy with MEK inhibitor U0126 produces only a transient inhibition of tumor glycolytic activity but does not inhibit tumor growth, which is due to continuing IGF2-induced signaling from IGF1R through the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway.

Use of ultrasound to assess renal reperfusion and P-selectin expression following unilateral renal ischemia

Renal ischemia-reperfusion injury is a major cause of acute kidney injury that carries a high mortality rate and increases the risk of later development of hypertension and chronic kidney disease. Although mouse models have contributed much to our understanding of the mechanisms involved, studying aspects of the injury process in vivo remains technically challenging. This study validates the use of noninvasive ultrasound imaging to assess both renal perfusion and vascular adhesion molecule expression following 1-h unilateral renal ischemia in male and female mice. Pulsed-wave Doppler measurements of renal arterial blood velocity revealed renal perfusion recoveries of 56 ± 9% in male and 69 ± 10% in female mice 1 h after the commencing of reperfusion, which is similar to what we have previously published using conventional invasive methodology. At 24 h postischemia, renal perfusion was 40 ± 8% in male and 46 ± 7% in female mice, representing a further significant reduction of perfusion (P(Time) < 0.001). Using ultrasound imaging of a P-selectin-targeted contrast agent, a significant increase in vascular P-selectin protein expression was observed after 1-h reperfusion in the cortex of the postischemic compared with contralateral kidney in both male and female mice (18 ± 5 vs. 3 ± 3 intensity units in male and 30 ± 6 vs. 0 ± 4 in female mice, P(Ischemia) < 0.01). An approximately sixfold increase in P-selectin mRNA was observed ex vivo in the renal vasculature of male and female mice at this time point (P < 0.01). In conclusion, ultrasound represents an effective and noninvasive method for the measurement of both renal perfusion and vascular adhesion molecule expression in mice.

Measurement of flow velocity fields in small vessel-mimic phantoms and vessels of small animals using micro ultrasonic particle image velocimetry (micro-EPIV)

Determining a multidimensional velocity field within microscale opaque fluid flows is needed in areas such as microfluidic devices, biofluid mechanics and hemodynamics research in animal studies. The ultrasonic particle image velocimetry (EchoPIV) technique is appropriate for measuring opaque flows by taking advantage of PIV and B-mode ultrasound contrast imaging. However, the use of clinical ultrasound systems for imaging flows in small structures or animals has limitations associated with spatial resolution. This paper reports on the development of a high-resolution EchoPIV technique (termed as micro-EPIV) and its application in measuring flows in small vessel-mimic phantoms and vessels of small animals. Phantom experiments demonstrate the validity of the technique, providing velocity estimates within 4.1% of the analytically derived values with regard to the flows in a small straight vessel-mimic phantom, and velocity estimates within 5.9% of the computationally simulated values with regard to the flows in a small stenotic vessel-mimic phantom. Animal studies concerning arterial and venous flows of living rats and rabbits show that the micro-EPIV-measured peak velocities within several cardiac cycles are about 25% below the values measured by the ultrasonic spectral Doppler technique. The micro-EPIV technique is able to effectively measure the flow fields within microscale opaque fluid flows.

Morphological ultrasound microimaging of thyroid in living mice

The objective of the study was to explore high-frequency ultrasound (HFUS) for noninvasive microimaging of thyroid in living mice. Thyroid examination was performed by HFUS in 10 normal C57BL/6 mice, eight mice treated by propylthiouracil, and 22 Tg-TRK-T1 transgenic mice. The dimension of the gland and the presence of nodules were evaluated. Nodules were classified as malignant (hypoechogenicity, poorly defined margins, internal microcalcification, irregular shapes, and extra glandular extension) or not, and the findings were compared with histological data. Thyroid images were successfully obtained in all the animals analyzed. Normal thyroid reached a volume of 4.92 microl (range 2.11-4.92 microl). Mice with propylthiouracil-induced goiter showed diffuse thyroid enlargement (median volume 6.67 microl, range 4.09-8.82 microl). In 19 of 22 Tg-TRK-T1 mice (86%), HFUS identified a nodular process (the smallest detected nodule had a diameter of 0.46 mm). Eleven nodules were classified as malignant and eight as benign. Compared with histological analysis, HFUS showed a sensitivity of 100% in the detection of thyroid nodules and a specificity of 60% (two of the nodules identified by HFUS were not confirmed at the histology). The specificity and sensitivity of HFUS in predicting the malignancy of the thyroid nodules were 83 and 91%, respectively. Thus, HFUS is an accurate imaging modality that can potentially replace more invasive techniques, and, therefore, it represents a significant advancement in phenotypic assessment of mouse models of thyroid cancer.

Ultrasound biomicroscopy: a powerful tool probing murine lymph node size in vivo

Invasive cell-counting in lymph node (LN) is the current reference to assess LN changes due to inflammation, immunodeficiency and cancer in murine models. This work evaluates whether ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) can measure LN size alterations noninvasively for a large range of sizes (0.1 mm3 to 22 mm3). Correlation was assessed (rho = 0.91, p < 0.0001) between invasive cell count and LN volume estimated with UBM (24, 2 to 28-week-old, C57BL/6 mice; 13 same-strain, transgenic mice presenting LN hyperplasia). UBM LN modification screening was applied in a skin-graft rejection model and compared with cell-counting (15 mice). UBM LN-size follow-up with fine temporal sampling was demonstrated from 9 d of age (minimum area 0.13 mm2). Reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] > 0.84) and variability of UBM evaluations compared favourably with invasive cell count. UBM provides a noninvasive alternative to cell-counting in mice for early detection and longitudinal screening of LN modifications. This can enable significant reduction in the number of mice and exploration of LNs that would be too small to dissect for cell count.

Novel use of ultrasound to examine regional blood flow in the mouse kidney

Conventional methods used for measuring regional renal blood flow, such as laser-Doppler flowmetry, are highly invasive, and each measurement is restricted to a discrete location. The aim of this study was to determine whether ultrasound imaging in conjunction with enhanced contrast agent (microbubbles; Vevo MicroMarker, VisualSonics) could provide a viable noninvasive alternative. This was achieved by determining changes in renal cortical and medullary rate of perfusion in response to a bolus injection of endothelin-1 (ET-1; 0.6, 1.0, or 2.0 nmol/kg) and comparing these responses to those observed in separate groups of mice with conventional laser-Doppler methods. Intravenous infusion of ET-1 in anesthetized male C57bl/6 mice resulted in a dose-dependent increase in mean arterial pressure and a dose-dependent decrease in total renal blood flow as measured by pulse-wave Doppler. ET-1 infusion resulted in a dose-dependent decrease in regional kidney perfusion as measured by both ultrasound with enhanced contrast agent and laser-Doppler measurements, verifying the use of ultrasound to measure regional kidney perfusion. Noted limitations of ultrasound imaging compared with laser-Doppler flowmetry included a lower degree of sensitivity to changes in tissue perfusion and the inability to assess rapid or transient changes in tissue perfusion. In conclusion, ultrasound represents an effective and noninvasive method for the measurement of relatively short-term, steady-state changes in regional blood flow in the mouse kidney.

Micro-ultrasound biofluid imaging and multi-component velocity measurement with micro echo particle image velocimetry technique

This paper presents a high-resolution microscale ultrasonic particle image velocimetry technique (termed as Micro-EPIV) for measuring multi-component velocity vectors in microscale opaque flows such as blood and biofluid flow in microvessel. The method was tested by in vitro flow imaging and in vivo small animal blood flow imaging studies. The bioflow and blood flow were seeded with ultrasound contrast microbubbles, and were "illuminated" acoustically by 50 MHz and 30 MHz ultrasound, respectively. B-mode images obtained at imaging frame rate of 10 frames per second (fps) and 110 fps were constructed from back-scattered RF signals from bubbles. Then, consecutive images were processed with optimized PIV algorithm, to acquire multi-component velocity vectors. The results were in good agreement with analytical solutions and the velocities measured by ultrasound Doppler technique.

Ultrasound imaging of renal vaso-occlusive events in transgenic sickle mice exposed to hypoxic stress

One of the major clinical manifestations of sickle cell disease (SCD) is vaso-occlusive crisis in response to hypoxic exposure, leading to acute and chronic organ damages, especially in kidneys. In a SCD transgenic murine model, ultrasound imaging allowed us to characterize the circulatory changes in renal arteries during vaso-occlusive crisis. Cardiac output, heart rate and renal blood flow velocities (BFV) were measured in 10 male transgenic and 10 male wild-type (WT) mice with a conventional echograph (Vivid 7, GE Medical), before and after hypoxic exposure (8%O(2), 18h). To assess entrapment of red cells, histologic study of the kidneys was performed in both groups. Hypoxic exposure decreased heart rates in both groups (-17%, p < 0.001). Cardiac output remained stable in WT, and decreased in transgenic (-26%, p < 0.01). Peak systolic BFV in the renal artery was not modified in both groups. End-diastolic and mean BFV remained stable in WT, but decreased in sickle transgenic (-56%, p < 0.01 and -47%, p < 0.001, respectively). Transgenic mice displayed marked congestion in peritubular capillaries and glomerular abnormalities with trapped sickle red cells, whereas WT did not present any histologic injury. Five hours after hypoxic exposure, blood flow velocities returned to basal values in both groups. Decrease in end-diastolic and mean BFV in absence of peak systolic BFV after hypoxic exposure strongly indicated that the increase in vascular resistance in kidneys related to sickling of red cells. Thus, ultrasound imaging of the renal artery in mouse is a powerful, noninvasive, easy-to-repeat method to evidence circulatory changes in murine models of vascular renal human diseases.

Loss of sugar detection by GLUT2 affects glucose homeostasis in mice

Background

Mammals must sense the amount of sugar available to them and respond appropriately. For many years attention has focused on intracellular glucose sensing derived from glucose metabolism. Here, we studied the detection of extracellular glucose concentrations in vivo by invalidating the transduction pathway downstream from the transporter-detector GLUT2 and measured the physiological impact of this pathway.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We produced mice that ubiquitously express the largest cytoplasmic loop of GLUT2, blocking glucose-mediated gene expression in vitro without affecting glucose metabolism. Impairment of GLUT2-mediated sugar detection transiently protected transgenic mice against starvation and streptozotocin-induced diabetes, suggesting that both low- and high-glucose concentrations were not detected. Transgenic mice favored lipid oxidation, and oral glucose was slowly cleared from blood due to low insulin production, despite massive urinary glucose excretion. Kidney adaptation was characterized by a lower rate of glucose reabsorption, whereas pancreatic adaptation was associated with a larger number of small islets.

Conclusions/Significance

Molecular invalidation of sugar sensing in GLUT2-loop transgenic mice changed multiple aspects of glucose homeostasis, highlighting by a top-down approach, the role of membrane glucose receptors as potential therapeutic targets.

[Tissue attenuation in small animals on contrast enhanced ultrasound]

Despite recent advances in contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging, evaluation of tissue perfusion with contrast-enhanced ultrasound is still impaired by shadowing effects. These effects are particularly relevant in small animal studies due to high frequency imaging. Current methods of tissue attenuation correction are not suited for contrast-enhanced ultrasound examinations, because microbubble acoustic response to ultrasound waves is far more complex than that of tissues. A method allowing in vivo tissue attenuation correction in the presence of contrast agents is presented.

Ultrasound biomicroscopy permits in vivo characterization of zebrafish liver tumors

Zebrafish are a valuable vertebrate model to study carcinogenesis, but noninvasive imaging is challenging because adult fish are not transparent. Here we show that tumors could be readily detected in vivo using high-resolution microscopic ultrasound in zebrafish. We successfully obtained tissue perfusion calculations and cellular aspirates, and analyzed tumor progression and response to treatment. Ultrasound biomicroscopy allows longitudinal studies of tumor development and real-time assessment of therapeutic effects in zebrafish.

In vivo mouse imaging and spectroscopy in drug discovery

Imaging modalities such as micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), micro-positron emission tomography (micro-PET), high-resolution MRI, optical imaging, and high-resolution ultrasound have become invaluable tools in preclinical pharmaceutical research. They can be used to non-invasively investigate, in vivo, rodent biology and metabolism, disease models, and pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of drugs. The advantages and limitations of each approach usually determine its application, and therefore a small-rodent imaging laboratory in a pharmaceutical environment should ideally provide access to several techniques. In this paper we aim to illustrate how these techniques may be used to obtain meaningful information for the phenotyping of transgenic mice and for the analysis of compounds in murine models of disease.

Ultrasonic assessment of hepatic blood flow as a marker of mouse hepatocarcinoma

Two-dimensional color-coded pulsed Doppler ultrasonography (US) with a 12-MHz linear transducer was used to follow tumor growth and neoangiogenesis development in 12 transgenic mice developing a whole liver hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) induced by the expression of SV40-T antigen. In this model, male mice developed HCC at various temporal and histologic stages (hyperplastic, four-eight wk; nodular, 12 wk; diffuse carcinoma, 16-20 wk), whereas female mice remained tumor free. Seven age-matched tumor-free mice were used as controls. Liver volume was calculated from B-mode images of the abdomen. Blood flow waveforms were recorded from the hepatic tumor-feeding artery upstream from the tumor vessels, allowing quantitative blood flow velocity measurements. Measurements were performed every four weeks from four to 20 weeks. As early as the hyperplastic stage (eight weeks), liver volume was increased by 2.7-fold, hepatic artery peak-systolic blood flow velocities (BFV) by 1.5-fold, end-diastolic BFV by 1.6-fold and mean BFV by 2.0-fold compared with control values (p < 0.001). Differences increased until 20 weeks and peak-systolic reached 90 +/- 6, end-diastolic 54 +/- 5 and mean BFV 48 +/- 5 cm s(-1). Successive measurements of BFV were reproducible and intraobserver repeatability coefficient values were <3 cm s(-1). In contrast, mesenteric artery BFV, which did not supply tumor region, did not show any significant difference with respect to control values. Thus, an increase in BFV constitutes a functional evaluation of tumor vascularity. In preclinical studies in small animals, measurements of liver volume and blood flow velocities in hepatic tumor-feeding artery provide a useful, reproducible, noninvasive, easy-to-repeat tool to monitor tumor growth and neoangiogenesis in hepatocellular carcinoma in mice.

L’échographie haute résolution de la souris

Small-animal ultrasound imaging has been made possible using high-resolution imaging devices. The spatial resolution is therefore sufficient to accurately measure anatomical parameters in mice. This paper reviews some of the main applications of high-resolution ultrasound imaging of the mouse and highlights what could be the forthcoming advances.