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Slijkhuis N, Razzi F, Korteland SA, Heijs B, van Gaalen K, Duncker DJ, van der Steen AFW, van Steijn V, van Beusekom HMM, van Soest G. Spatial lipidomics of coronary atherosclerotic plaque development in a familial hypercholesterolemia swine model. J Lipid Res 2024; 65:100504. [PMID: 38246237 PMCID: PMC10879031 DOI: 10.1016/j.jlr.2024.100504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Coronary atherosclerosis is caused by plaque build-up, with lipids playing a pivotal role in its progression. However, lipid composition and distribution within coronary atherosclerosis remain unknown. This study aims to characterize lipids and investigate differences in lipid composition across disease stages to aid in the understanding of disease progression. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) was used to visualize lipid distributions in coronary artery sections (n = 17) from hypercholesterolemic swine. We performed histology on consecutive sections to classify the artery segments and to investigate colocalization between lipids and histological regions of interest in advanced plaque, including necrotic core and inflammatory cells. Segments were classified as healthy (n = 6), mild (n = 6), and advanced disease (n = 5) artery segments. Multivariate data analysis was employed to find differences in lipid composition between the segment types, and the lipids' spatial distribution was investigated using non-negative matrix factorization (NMF). Through this process, MALDI-MSI detected 473 lipid-related features. NMF clustering described three components in positive ionization mode: triacylglycerides (TAG), phosphatidylcholines (PC), and cholesterol species. In negative ionization mode, two components were identified: one driven by phosphatidylinositol(PI)(38:4), and one driven by ceramide-phosphoethanolamine(36:1). Multivariate data analysis showed the association between advanced disease and specific lipid signatures like PC(O-40:5) and cholesterylester(CE)(18:2). Ether-linked phospholipids and LysoPC species were found to colocalize with necrotic core, and mostly CE, ceramide, and PI species colocalized with inflammatory cells. This study, therefore, uncovers distinct lipid signatures correlated with plaque development and their colocalization with necrotic core and inflammatory cells, enhancing our understanding of coronary atherosclerosis progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuria Slijkhuis
- Department of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Institute, Thorax Center, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Francesca Razzi
- Department of Experimental Cardiology, Cardiovascular Institute, Thorax Center, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Chemical Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Suze-Anne Korteland
- Department of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Institute, Thorax Center, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Bram Heijs
- Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Kim van Gaalen
- Department of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Institute, Thorax Center, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Dirk J Duncker
- Department of Experimental Cardiology, Cardiovascular Institute, Thorax Center, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Antonius F W van der Steen
- Department of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Institute, Thorax Center, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China; Department of Imaging Science and Technology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Volkert van Steijn
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Heleen M M van Beusekom
- Department of Experimental Cardiology, Cardiovascular Institute, Thorax Center, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Gijs van Soest
- Department of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Institute, Thorax Center, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Precision and Microsystems Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands; Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
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Cruts JMH, Giezen JA, van Gaalen K, Beurskens R, Ridwan Y, Dijkshoorn ML, van Beusekom HMM, Boodt N, van der Lugt A, de Vries JJ, de Maat MPM, Gijsen FJH, Cahalane RME. The association between human blood clot analogue computed tomography imaging, composition, contraction, and mechanical characteristics. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0293456. [PMID: 37956141 PMCID: PMC10642823 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Clot composition, contraction, and mechanical properties are likely determinants of endovascular thrombectomy success. A pre-interventional estimation of these properties is hypothesized to aid in selecting the most suitable treatment for different types of thrombi. Here we determined the association between the aforementioned properties and computed tomography (CT) characteristics using human blood clot analogues. METHODS Clot analogues were prepared from the blood of 4 healthy human donors with 5 red blood cell (RBC) volume suspensions: 0%, 20%, 40%, 60% and 80% RBCs. Contraction was measured as the weight of the contracted clots as a percentage of the original suspension. The clots were imaged using CT with and without contrast to quantify clot density and density increase. Unconfined compression was performed to determine the high strain compressive stiffness. The RBC content was analysed using H&E staining. RESULTS The 5 RBC suspensions formed only two groups of clots, fibrin-rich (0% RBCs) and RBC-rich (>90% RBCs), as determined by histology. The density of the fibrin-rich clots was significantly lower (31-38HU) compared to the RBC-rich clots (72-89HU), and the density increase of the fibrin-rich clots was significantly higher (82-127HU) compared to the RBC-rich clots (3-17HU). The compressive stiffness of the fibrin-rich clots was higher (178-1624 kPa) than the stiffness of the RBC-rich clots (6-526 kPa). Additionally, the degree of clot contraction was higher for the fibrin-rich clots (89-96%) compared to the RBC-rich clots (11-77%). CONCLUSIONS CT imaging clearly reflects clot RBC content and seems to be related to the clot contraction and stiffness. CT imaging might be a useful tool in predicting the thrombus characteristics. However, future studies should confirm these findings by analysing clots with intermediate RBC and platelet content.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janneke M. H. Cruts
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Jo-Anne Giezen
- Department of Biomechanical Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, the Netherlands
| | - Kim van Gaalen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Robert Beurskens
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Yanto Ridwan
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Marcel L. Dijkshoorn
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | | | - Nikki Boodt
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Neurology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Public Health, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Aad van der Lugt
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Judith J. de Vries
- Department of Hematology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | | | - Frank J. H. Gijsen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Biomechanical Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, the Netherlands
| | - Rachel M. E. Cahalane
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
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Slijkhuis N, Towers M, Mirzaian M, Korteland SA, Heijs B, van Gaalen K, Nieuwenhuizen I, Nigg A, van der Heiden K, de Rijke YB, van der Lugt A, Sijbrands EJG, Claude E, van Soest G. Identifying lipid traces of atherogenic mechanisms in human carotid plaque. Atherosclerosis 2023; 385:117340. [PMID: 37913561 DOI: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2023.117340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Lipids play an important role in atherosclerotic plaque development and are interesting candidate predictive biomarkers. However, the link between circulating lipids, accumulating lipids in the vessel wall, and plaque destabilization processes in humans remains largely unknown. This study aims to provide new insights into the role of lipids in atherosclerosis using lipidomics and mass spectrometry imaging to investigate lipid signatures in advanced human carotid plaque and plasma samples. METHODS We used lipidomics and desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry imaging (DESI-MSI) to investigate lipid signatures of advanced human carotid plaque and plasma obtained from patients who underwent carotid endarterectomy (n = 14 out of 17 whose plaque samples were analyzed by DESI-MSI). Multivariate data analysis and unsupervised clustering were applied to identify lipids that were the most discriminative species between different patterns in plaque and plasma. These patterns were interpreted by quantitative comparison with conventional histology. RESULTS Lipidomics detected more than 300 lipid species in plasma and plaque, with markedly different relative abundances. DESI-MSI visualized the spatial distribution of 611 lipid-related m/z features in plaques, of which 330 m/z features could be assigned based on exact mass, comparison to the lipidomic data, and high mass resolution MSI. Matching spatial lipid patterns to histological areas of interest revealed several molecular species that were colocalized with pertinent disease processes in plaque including specific sphingomyelin and ceramide species with calcification, phospholipids and free fatty acids with inflammation, and triacylglycerols and phosphatidylinositols with fibrin-rich areas. CONCLUSIONS By comparing lipid species in plaque and plasma, we identified those circulating species that were also prominently present in plaque. Quantitative comparison of lipid spectral patterns with histology revealed the presence of specific lipid species in destabilized plaque areas, corroborating previous in vitro and animal studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuria Slijkhuis
- Department of Cardiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Mark Towers
- Waters Corporation, Wilmslow, United Kingdom
| | - Mina Mirzaian
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Suze-Anne Korteland
- Department of Cardiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Bram Heijs
- Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Kim van Gaalen
- Department of Cardiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Ingeborg Nieuwenhuizen
- Department of Cardiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Alex Nigg
- Optical Imaging Center, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Kim van der Heiden
- Department of Cardiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Yolanda B de Rijke
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Aad van der Lugt
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Eric J G Sijbrands
- Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | | | - Gijs van Soest
- Department of Cardiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Precision and Microsystems Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, the Netherlands.
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Cahalane RME, de Vries JJ, de Maat MPM, van Gaalen K, van Beusekom HM, van der Lugt A, Fereidoonnezhad B, Akyildiz AC, Gijsen FJH. Tensile and Compressive Mechanical Behaviour of Human Blood Clot Analogues. Ann Biomed Eng 2023:10.1007/s10439-023-03181-6. [PMID: 37071278 DOI: 10.1007/s10439-023-03181-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/19/2023]
Abstract
Endovascular thrombectomy procedures are significantly influenced by the mechanical response of thrombi to the multi-axial loading imposed during retrieval. Compression tests are commonly used to determine compressive ex vivo thrombus and clot analogue stiffness. However, there is a shortage of data in tension. This study compares the tensile and compressive response of clot analogues made from the blood of healthy human donors in a range of compositions. Citrated whole blood was collected from six healthy human donors. Contracted and non-contracted fibrin clots, whole blood clots and clots reconstructed with a range of red blood cell (RBC) volumetric concentrations (5-80%) were prepared under static conditions. Both uniaxial tension and unconfined compression tests were performed using custom-built setups. Approximately linear nominal stress-strain profiles were found under tension, while strong strain-stiffening profiles were observed under compression. Low- and high-strain stiffness values were acquired by applying a linear fit to the initial and final 10% of the nominal stress-strain curves. Tensile stiffness values were approximately 15 times higher than low-strain compressive stiffness and 40 times lower than high-strain compressive stiffness values. Tensile stiffness decreased with an increasing RBC volume in the blood mixture. In contrast, high-strain compressive stiffness values increased from 0 to 10%, followed by a decrease from 20 to 80% RBC volumes. Furthermore, inter-donor differences were observed with up to 50% variation in the stiffness of whole blood clot analogues prepared in the same manner between healthy human donors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel M E Cahalane
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Judith J de Vries
- Department of Hematology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Moniek P M de Maat
- Department of Hematology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Kim van Gaalen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Heleen M van Beusekom
- Experimental Cardiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Aad van der Lugt
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Behrooz Fereidoonnezhad
- Department of Biomechanical Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Ali C Akyildiz
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Biomechanical Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Frank J H Gijsen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
- Department of Biomechanical Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands.
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Meester EJ, de Blois E, Krenning BJ, van der Steen AFW, Norenberg JP, van Gaalen K, Bernsen MR, de Jong M, van der Heiden K. Autoradiographical assessment of inflammation-targeting radioligands for atherosclerosis imaging: potential for plaque phenotype identification. EJNMMI Res 2021; 11:27. [PMID: 33730311 PMCID: PMC7969682 DOI: 10.1186/s13550-021-00772-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2020] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Many radioligands have been developed for the visualization of atherosclerosis by targeting inflammation. However, interpretation of in vivo signals is often limited to plaque identification. We evaluated binding of some promising radioligands in an in vitro approach in atherosclerotic plaques with different phenotypes. METHODS Tissue sections of carotid endarterectomy tissue were characterized as early plaque, fibro-calcific plaque, or phenotypically vulnerable plaque. In vitro binding assays for the radioligands [111In]In-DOTATATE; [111In]In-DOTA-JR11; [67Ga]Ga-Pentixafor; [111In]In-DANBIRT; and [111In]In-EC0800 were conducted, the expression of the radioligand targets was assessed via immunohistochemistry. Radioligand binding and expression of radioligand targets was investigated and compared. RESULTS In sections characterized as vulnerable plaque, binding was highest for [111In]In-EC0800; followed by [111In]In-DANBIRT; [67Ga]Ga-Pentixafor; [111In]In-DOTA-JR11; and [111In]In-DOTATATE (0.064 ± 0.036; 0.052 ± 0.029; 0.011 ± 0.003; 0.0066 ± 0.0021; 0.00064 ± 0.00014 %Added activity/mm2, respectively). Binding of [111In]In-DANBIRT and [111In]In-EC0800 was highest across plaque phenotypes, binding of [111In]In-DOTA-JR11 and [67Ga]Ga-Pentixafor differed most between plaque phenotypes. Binding of [111In]In-DOTATATE was the lowest across plaque phenotypes. The areas positive for cells expressing the radioligand's target differed between plaque phenotypes for all targets, with lowest percentage area of expression in early plaque sections and highest in phenotypically vulnerable plaque sections. CONCLUSIONS Radioligands targeting inflammatory cell markers showed different levels of binding in atherosclerotic plaques and among plaque phenotypes. Different radioligands might be used for plaque detection and discerning early from vulnerable plaque. [111In]In-EC0800 and [111In]In-DANBIRT appear most suitable for plaque detection, while [67Ga]Ga-Pentixafor and [111In]In-DOTA-JR11 might be best suited for differentiation between plaque phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric J Meester
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Thorax Center, Erasmus Medical Center, PO Box 2040, 3000 CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Erik de Blois
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Antonius F W van der Steen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Thorax Center, Erasmus Medical Center, PO Box 2040, 3000 CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jeff P Norenberg
- Radiopharmaceutical Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Kim van Gaalen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Thorax Center, Erasmus Medical Center, PO Box 2040, 3000 CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Monique R Bernsen
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Marion de Jong
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Kim van der Heiden
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Thorax Center, Erasmus Medical Center, PO Box 2040, 3000 CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
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Hoogendoorn A, den Hoedt S, Hartman EMJ, Krabbendam-Peters I, Te Lintel Hekkert M, van der Zee L, van Gaalen K, Witberg KT, Dorst K, Ligthart JMR, Drouet L, Van der Heiden K, van Lennep JR, van der Steen AFW, Duncker DJ, Mulder MT, Wentzel JJ. Variation in Coronary Atherosclerosis Severity Related to a Distinct LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein) Profile: Findings From a Familial Hypercholesterolemia Pig Model. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2019; 39:2338-2352. [PMID: 31554418 PMCID: PMC6818985 DOI: 10.1161/atvbaha.119.313246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE In an adult porcine model of familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), coronary plaque development was characterized. To elucidate the underlying mechanisms of the observed inter-individual variation in disease severity, detailed lipoprotein profiles were determined. Approach and Results: FH pigs (3 years old, homozygous LDLR R84C mutation) received an atherogenic diet for 12 months. Coronary atherosclerosis development was monitored using serial invasive imaging and histology. A pronounced difference was observed between mildly diseased pigs which exclusively developed early lesions (maximal plaque burden, 25% [23%-34%]; n=5) and advanced-diseased pigs (n=5) which developed human-like, lumen intruding plaques (maximal plaque burden, 69% [57%-77%]) with large necrotic cores, intraplaque hemorrhage, and calcifications. Advanced-diseased pigs and mildly diseased pigs displayed no differences in conventional risk factors. Additional plasma lipoprotein profiling by size-exclusion chromatography revealed 2 different LDL (low-density lipoprotein) subtypes: regular and larger LDL. Cholesterol, sphingosine-1-phosphate, ceramide, and sphingomyelin levels were determined in these LDL-subfractions using standard laboratory techniques and high-pressure liquid chromatography mass-spectrometry analyses, respectively. At 3 months of diet, regular LDL of advanced-diseased pigs contained relatively more cholesterol (LDL-C; regular/larger LDL-C ratio 1.7 [1.3-1.9] versus 0.8 [0.6-0.9]; P=0.008) than mildly diseased pigs, while larger LDL contained more sphingosine-1-phosphate, ceramides, and sphingomyelins. Larger and regular LDL was also found in plasma of 3 patients with homozygous FH with varying LDL-C ratios. CONCLUSIONS In our adult FH pig model, inter-individual differences in atherosclerotic disease severity were directly related to the distribution of cholesterol and sphingolipids over a distinct LDL profile with regular and larger LDL shortly after the diet start. A similar LDL profile was detected in patients with homozygous FH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayla Hoogendoorn
- From the Department of Cardiology, Biomedical Engineering, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands (A.H., E.M.J.H., K.v.G., K.V.d.H., A.F.W.v.d.S., J.J.W.)
| | - Sandra den Hoedt
- Department of Internal Medicine, Laboratory of Vascular Medicine, Division of Pharmacology, Vascular & Metabolic Disease (S.d.H., L.v.d.Z., K.D., J.R.v.L., M.T.M.), Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Eline M J Hartman
- From the Department of Cardiology, Biomedical Engineering, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands (A.H., E.M.J.H., K.v.G., K.V.d.H., A.F.W.v.d.S., J.J.W.)
| | - Ilona Krabbendam-Peters
- Department of Cardiology, Experimental Cardiology (I.K.-P., M.t.L.H., D.J.D.), Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Maaike Te Lintel Hekkert
- Department of Cardiology, Experimental Cardiology (I.K.-P., M.t.L.H., D.J.D.), Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Leonie van der Zee
- Department of Internal Medicine, Laboratory of Vascular Medicine, Division of Pharmacology, Vascular & Metabolic Disease (S.d.H., L.v.d.Z., K.D., J.R.v.L., M.T.M.), Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Kim van Gaalen
- From the Department of Cardiology, Biomedical Engineering, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands (A.H., E.M.J.H., K.v.G., K.V.d.H., A.F.W.v.d.S., J.J.W.)
| | - Karen Th Witberg
- Department of Cardiology, Interventional Cardiology (K.T.W., J.M.R.L.), Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Kristien Dorst
- Department of Internal Medicine, Laboratory of Vascular Medicine, Division of Pharmacology, Vascular & Metabolic Disease (S.d.H., L.v.d.Z., K.D., J.R.v.L., M.T.M.), Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Jurgen M R Ligthart
- Department of Cardiology, Interventional Cardiology (K.T.W., J.M.R.L.), Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Ludovic Drouet
- Department of Angiohematology, Hospital Lariboisiere, Paris, France (L.D.)
| | - Kim Van der Heiden
- From the Department of Cardiology, Biomedical Engineering, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands (A.H., E.M.J.H., K.v.G., K.V.d.H., A.F.W.v.d.S., J.J.W.)
| | - Jeanine Roeters van Lennep
- Department of Internal Medicine, Laboratory of Vascular Medicine, Division of Pharmacology, Vascular & Metabolic Disease (S.d.H., L.v.d.Z., K.D., J.R.v.L., M.T.M.), Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Antonius F W van der Steen
- From the Department of Cardiology, Biomedical Engineering, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands (A.H., E.M.J.H., K.v.G., K.V.d.H., A.F.W.v.d.S., J.J.W.)
| | - Dirk J Duncker
- Department of Cardiology, Experimental Cardiology (I.K.-P., M.t.L.H., D.J.D.), Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Monique T Mulder
- Department of Internal Medicine, Laboratory of Vascular Medicine, Division of Pharmacology, Vascular & Metabolic Disease (S.d.H., L.v.d.Z., K.D., J.R.v.L., M.T.M.), Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Jolanda J Wentzel
- From the Department of Cardiology, Biomedical Engineering, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands (A.H., E.M.J.H., K.v.G., K.V.d.H., A.F.W.v.d.S., J.J.W.)
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van Engelen A, Niessen WJ, Klein S, Groen HC, van Gaalen K, Verhagen HJ, Wentzel JJ, van der Lugt A, de Bruijne M. Automated segmentation of atherosclerotic histology based on pattern classification. J Pathol Inform 2013; 4:S3. [PMID: 23766939 PMCID: PMC3678743 DOI: 10.4103/2153-3539.109844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2013] [Accepted: 01/21/2013] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Histology sections provide accurate information on atherosclerotic plaque composition, and are used in various applications. To our knowledge, no automated systems for plaque component segmentation in histology sections currently exist. Materials and Methods: We perform pixel-wise classification of fibrous, lipid, and necrotic tissue in Elastica Von Gieson-stained histology sections, using features based on color channel intensity and local image texture and structure. We compare an approach where we train on independent data to an approach where we train on one or two sections per specimen in order to segment the remaining sections. We evaluate the results on segmentation accuracy in histology, and we use the obtained histology segmentations to train plaque component classification methods in ex vivo Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and in vivo MRI and computed tomography (CT). Results: In leave-one-specimen-out experiments on 176 histology slices of 13 plaques, a pixel-wise accuracy of 75.7 ± 6.8% was obtained. This increased to 77.6 ± 6.5% when two manually annotated slices of the specimen to be segmented were used for training. Rank correlations of relative component volumes with manually annotated volumes were high in this situation (P = 0.82-0.98). Using the obtained histology segmentations to train plaque component classification methods in ex vivo MRI and in vivo MRI and CT resulted in similar image segmentations for training on the automated histology segmentations as for training on a fully manual ground truth. The size of the lipid-rich necrotic core was significantly smaller when training on fully automated histology segmentations than when manually annotated histology sections were used. This difference was reduced and not statistically significant when one or two slices per section were manually annotated for histology segmentation. Conclusions: Good histology segmentations can be obtained by automated segmentation, which show good correlations with ground truth volumes. In addition, these can be used to develop segmentation methods in other imaging modalities. Accuracy increases when one or two sections of the same specimen are used for training, which requires a limited amount of user interaction in practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arna van Engelen
- Biomedical Imaging Group Rotterdam, Department of Medical Informatics and Radiology, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, Netherlands
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Matlung HL, Neele AE, Groen HC, van Gaalen K, Tuna BG, van Weert A, de Vos J, Wentzel JJ, Hoogenboezem M, van Buul JD, VanBavel E, Bakker ENTP. Transglutaminase activity regulates atherosclerotic plaque composition at locations exposed to oscillatory shear stress. Atherosclerosis 2012; 224:355-62. [PMID: 22921425 DOI: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2012.07.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2012] [Revised: 07/19/2012] [Accepted: 07/30/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Atherosclerosis preferentially develops at sites of disturbed blood flow. We tested the hypothesis that transglutaminase activity plays a role in plaque development at these locations. METHODS AND RESULTS Exposure of endothelial cells to steady flow (7 dynes/cm(2)) was associated with relatively low transglutaminase activity, whereas under low oscillatory flow (1.3 ± 2.6 dynes/cm(2)) endothelial cells showed a >4-fold higher level of transglutaminase activity. Under oscillatory flow, transglutaminase activity increased the expression of the chemokine MCP-1 (CCL2). In vivo, oscillatory flow was induced by placement of a tapered perivascular cast around the carotid artery of type 2 transglutaminase (TGM2) knockout mice and WT counterparts. After 2 days, significantly less monocytes adhered to the endothelium in TGM2 knockout mice as compared to WT. In a more chronic setting, ApoE knockout mice that were equipped with the flow-modifying cast developed lesions proximal to the cast (low shear stress), and distal to the cast (oscillatory shear stress). Inhibition of transglutaminase induced a marked reduction in macrophage and fat content in distal lesions only. In addition, lesion size was increased in this area, which was attributed to an increase in smooth muscle content. CONCLUSION Oscillatory shear stress increases endothelial transglutaminase activity. In turn, transglutaminase activity affects the expression of MCP-1 in vitro and monocyte recruitment in vivo. In a mouse model of atherosclerosis, transglutaminase activity has a major effect on plaque composition under oscillatory shear stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanke L Matlung
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Physics, Academic Medical Center, PO Box 22700, 1100 DE Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Groen HC, van Walsum T, Rozie S, Klein S, van Gaalen K, Gijsen FJH, Wielopolski PA, van Beusekom HMM, de Crom R, Verhagen HJM, van der Steen AFW, van der Lugt A, Wentzel JJ, Niessen WJ. Three-dimensional registration of histology of human atherosclerotic carotid plaques to in-vivo imaging. J Biomech 2010; 43:2087-92. [PMID: 20444453 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2010.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2009] [Revised: 03/24/2010] [Accepted: 04/07/2010] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
An accurate spatial relationship between 3D in-vivo carotid plaque and lumen imaging and histological cross sections is required to study the relationship between biomechanical parameters and atherosclerotic plaque components. We present and evaluate a fully three-dimensional approach for this registration problem, which accounts for deformations that occur during the processing of the specimens. By using additional imaging steps during tissue processing and semi-automated non-linear registration techniques, a 3D-reconstruction of the histology is obtained. The methodology was evaluated on five specimens obtained from patients, operated for severe atherosclerosis in the carotid bifurcation. In more than 80% of the histology slices, the quality of the semi-automated registration with computed tomography angiography (CTA) was equal to or better than the manual registration. The inter-observer variability was between one and two in-vivo CT voxels and was equal to the manual inter-observer variability. Our technique showed that the angles between the normals of the registered histology slices and the in-vivo CTA scan direction ranged 6-56 degrees , indicating that proper 3D-registration is crucial for establishing a correct spatial relation with in-vivo imaging modalities. This new 3D-reconstruction technique of atherosclerotic plaque tissue opens new avenues in the field of biomechanics as well as in the field of image processing, where it can be used for validation purposes of segmentation algorithms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harald C Groen
- Biomedical Engineering, ErasmusMC, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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