Subcutaneous deuterated substrate administration in mice: An alternative to tail vein infusion.

PURPOSE: Tail-vein catheterization and subsequent in-magnet infusion is a common route of administration of deuterium (2 H)-labeled substrates in small-animal deuterium (D) MR studies. With mice, because of the tail vein's small diameter, this procedure is challenging. It requires considerable personnel training and practice, is prone to failure, and may preclude serial studies. Motivated by the need for an alternative, the time courses for common small-molecule deuterated substrates and downstream metabolites in brain following subcutaneous infusion were determined in mice and are presented herein. METHODS: Three 2 H-labeled substrates-[6,6-2 H2 ]glucose, [2 H3 ]acetate, and [3,4,4,4-2 H4 ]beta-hydroxybutyrate-and 2 H2 O were administered to mice in-magnet via subcutaneous catheter. Brain time courses of the substrates and downstream metabolites (and semi-heavy water) were determined via single-voxel DMRS. RESULTS: Subcutaneous catheter placement and substrate administration was readily accomplished with limited personnel training. Substrates reached pseudo-steady state in brain within ∼30-40 min of bolus infusion. Time constants characterizing the appearance in brain of deuterated substrates or semi-heavy water following 2 H2 O administration were similar (∼15 min). CONCLUSION: Administration of deuterated substrates via subcutaneous catheter for in vivo DMRS experiments with mice is robust, requires limited personnel training, and enables substantial dosing. It is suitable for metabolic studies where pseudo-steady state substrate administration/accumulation is sufficient. It is particularly advantageous for serial longitudinal studies over an extended period because it avoids inevitable damage to the tail vein following multiple catheterizations.

Rat Brain Global Ischemia-Induced Diffusion Changes Revisited: Biophysical Modeling of the Water and NAA MR "Diffusion Signal".

PURPOSE: To assess changes in intracellular diffusion as a mechanism for the reduction in water ADC that accompanies brain injury. Using NAA as a marker of neuronal cytoplasmic diffusion, NAA diffusion was measured before and after global ischemia (immediately postmortem) in the female Sprague-Dawley rat. METHODS: Diffusion-weighted PRESS spectra, with diffusion encoding in a single direction, were acquired from large voxels of rat brain gray matter in vivo and postischemia employing either pairs of pulsed half-sine-shaped gradients (in vivo and postischemia, bmax  = 19 ms/µm2 ) or sinusoidal oscillating gradients (in vivo only) with frequencies of 99.2-250 Hz. A 2D randomly oriented cylinder (neurite) model gave estimates of longitudinal and transverse diffusivities (DL and DT , respectively). In this model, DL represents the "free" diffusivity of NAA, whereas DT reflects highly restricted diffusion. Using oscillating gradients, the frequency dependence of DT [DT (ω)] gave estimates of the cylinder (axon/dendrite) radius. RESULTS: A 10% decrease in DL,NAA followed global ischemia, dropping from 0.391 ± 0.012 µm2 /ms to 0.350 ± 0.009 µm2 /ms. Modeling DT,NAA (ω) provided an estimate of the neurite radius of 1.0 ± 0.6 µm. CONCLUSION: Whereas the increase in apparent intraneuronal viscosity suggested by changes in DL,NAA may contribute to the overall reduction in water ADC associated with brain injury, it is not sufficient to be the sole explanation. Estimates of neurite radius based on DT (ω) were consistent with literature values.

Intracellular water preexchange lifetime in neurons and astrocytes.

PURPOSE: To determine the intracellular water preexchange lifetime, τi , the "average residence time" of water, in the intracellular milieu of neurons and astrocytes. The preexchange lifetime is important for modeling a variety of MR data sets, including relaxation, diffusion-sensitive, and dynamic contrast-enhanced data sets. METHODS: Herein, τi in neurons and astrocytes is determined in a microbead-adherent, cultured cell system. In concert with thin-slice selection, rapid flow of extracellular media suppresses extracellular signal, allowing determination of the transcytolemmal-exchange-dominated, intracellular T1 . With this knowledge, and that of the intracellular T1 in the absence of exchange, τi can be derived. RESULTS: Under normal culture conditions, τi for neurons is 0.75 ± 0.05 s versus 0.57 ± 0.03 s for astrocytes. Both neuronal and astrocytic τi s decrease within 30 min after the onset of oxygen-glucose deprivation, with the astrocytic τi showing a substantially greater decrease than the neuronal τi . CONCLUSIONS: Given an approximate intra- to extracellular volume ratio of 4:1 in the brain, these data imply that, under normal physiological conditions, an MR experimental characteristic time of less than 0.012 s is required for a nonexchanging, two-compartment (intra- and extracellular) model to be valid for MR studies. This characteristic time shortens significantly (i.e., 0.004 s) under injury conditions. Magn Reson Med 79:1616-1627, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Bayesian Modeling of NMR Data: Quantifying Longitudinal Relaxation in Vivo, and in Vitro with a Tissue-Water-Relaxation Mimic (Crosslinked Bovine Serum Albumin).

Recently, a number of MRI protocols have been reported that seek to exploit the effect of dissolved oxygen (O2, paramagnetic) on the longitudinal 1H relaxation of tissue water, thus providing image contrast related to tissue oxygen content. However, tissue water relaxation is dependent on a number of mechanisms, and this raises the issue of how best to model the relaxation data. This problem, the model selection problem, occurs in many branches of science and is optimally addressed by Bayesian probability theory. High signal-to-noise, densely sampled, longitudinal 1H relaxation data were acquired from rat brain in vivo and from a cross-linked bovine serum albumin (xBSA) phantom, a sample that recapitulates the relaxation characteristics of tissue water in vivo. Bayesian-based model selection was applied to a cohort of five competing relaxation models: (i) monoexponential, (ii) stretched-exponential, (iii) biexponential, (iv) Gaussian (normal) R1-distribution, and (v) gamma R1-distribution. Bayesian joint analysis of multiple replicate datasets revealed that water relaxation of both the xBSA phantom and in vivo rat brain was best described by a biexponential model, while xBSA relaxation datasets truncated to remove evidence of the fast relaxation component were best modeled as a stretched exponential. In all cases, estimated model parameters were compared to the commonly used monoexponential model. Reducing the sampling density of the relaxation data and adding Gaussian-distributed noise served to simulate cases in which the data are acquisition-time or signal-to-noise restricted, respectively. As expected, reducing either the number of data points or the signal-to-noise increases the uncertainty in estimated parameters and, ultimately, reduces support for more complex relaxation models.

Are complex DCE-MRI models supported by clinical data?

PURPOSE: To ascertain whether complex dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) MRI tracer kinetic models are supported by data acquired in the clinic and to determine the consequences of limited contrast-to-noise. METHODS: Generically representative in silico and clinical (cervical cancer) DCE-MRI data were examined. Bayesian model selection evaluated support for four compartmental DCE-MRI models: the Tofts model (TM), Extended Tofts model, Compartmental Tissue Uptake model (CTUM), and Two-Compartment Exchange model. RESULTS: Complex DCE-MRI models were more sensitive to noise than simpler models with respect to both model selection and parameter estimation. Indeed, as contrast-to-noise decreased, complex DCE models became less probable and simpler models more probable. The less complex TM and CTUM were the optimal models for the DCE-MRI data acquired in the clinic. [In cervical tumors, Ktrans, Fp, and PS increased after radiotherapy (P = 0.004, 0.002, and 0.014, respectively)]. CONCLUSION: Caution is advised when considering application of complex DCE-MRI kinetic models to data acquired in the clinic. It follows that data-driven model selection is an important prerequisite to DCE-MRI analysis. Model selection is particularly important when high-order, multiparametric models are under consideration. (Parameters obtained from kinetic modeling of cervical cancer clinical DCE-MRI data showed significant changes at an early stage of radiotherapy.) Magn Reson Med 77:1329-1339, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Can anti-vascular endothelial growth factor antibody reverse radiation necrosis? A preclinical investigation.

Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) antibodies are a promising new treatment for late time-to-onset radiation-induced necrosis (RN). We sought to evaluate and validate the response to anti-VEGF antibody in a mouse model of RN. Mice were irradiated with the Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion™ and then treated with anti-VEGF antibody, beginning at post-irradiation (PIR) week 8. RN progression was monitored via anatomic and diffusion MRI from weeks 4-12 PIR. Standard histology, using haematoxylin and eosin (H&E), and immunohistochemistry staining were used to validate the response to treatment. After treatment, both post-contrast T1-weighted and T2-weighted image-derived lesion volumes decreased (P < 0.001), while the lesion volumes for the control group increased. The abnormally high apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) for RN also returned to the ADC range for normal brain following treatment (P < 0.001). However, typical RN pathology was still present histologically. Large areas of focal calcification were observed in ~50% of treated mouse brains. Additionally, VEGF and hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF-1α) were continually upregulated in both the anti-VEGF and control groups. Despite improvements observed radiographically following anti-VEGF treatment, lesions were not completely resolved histologically. The subsequent calcification and the continued upregulation of VEGF and HIF-1α merit further preclinical/clinical investigation.

O2 -sensitive MRI distinguishes brain tumor versus radiation necrosis in murine models.

PURPOSE: The goal of this study was to quantify the relationship between the (1) H longitudinal relaxation rate constant, R1 , and oxygen (O2 ) concentration (relaxivity, r1 ) in tissue and to quantify O2 -driven changes in R1 (ΔR1 ) during a breathing gas challenge in normal brain, radiation-induced lesions, and tumor lesions. METHODS: R1 data were collected in control-state mice (n = 4) during three different breathing gas (and thus tissue O2 ) conditions. In parallel experiments, pO2 was measured in the thalamus of control-state mice (n = 4) under the same breathing gas conditions using an O2 -sensitive microprobe. The relaxivity of tissue O2 was calculated using the R1 and pO2 data. R1 data were collected in control-state (n = 4) mice, a glioma model (n = 7), and a radiation necrosis model (n = 6) during two breathing gas (thus tissue O2 ) conditions. R1 and ΔR1 were calculated for each cohort. RESULTS: O2 r1 in the brain was 9 × 10(-4) ± 3 × 10(-4) mm Hg(-1) · s(-1) at 4.7T. R1 and ΔR1 measurements distinguished radiation necrosis from tumor (P< 0.03 and P< 0.01, respectively). CONCLUSION: The relaxivity of O2 in the brain is determined. R1 and ΔR1 measurements differentiate tumor lesions from radiation necrosis lesions in the mouse models. These pathologies are difficult to distinguish by traditional imaging techniques; O2 -driven changes in R1 holds promise in this regard. Magn Reson Med 75:2442-2447, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

In vivo ³¹P-nuclear magnetic resonance studies of glyphosate uptake, vacuolar sequestration, and tonoplast pump activity in glyphosate-resistant horseweed.

Horseweed (Conyza canadensis) is considered a significant glyphosate-resistant (GR) weed in agriculture, spreading to 21 states in the United States and now found globally on five continents. This laboratory previously reported rapid vacuolar sequestration of glyphosate as the mechanism of resistance in GR horseweed. The observation of vacuole sequestration is consistent with the existence of a tonoplast-bound transporter. (31)P-Nuclear magnetic resonance experiments performed in vivo with GR horseweed leaf tissue show that glyphosate entry into the plant cell (cytosolic compartment) is (1) first order in extracellular glyphosate concentration, independent of pH and dependent upon ATP; (2) competitively inhibited by alternative substrates (aminomethyl phosphonate [AMPA] and N-methyl glyphosate [NMG]), which themselves enter the plant cell; and (3) blocked by vanadate, a known inhibitor/blocker of ATP-dependent transporters. Vacuole sequestration of glyphosate is (1) first order in cytosolic glyphosate concentration and dependent upon ATP; (2) competitively inhibited by alternative substrates (AMPA and NMG), which themselves enter the plant vacuole; and (3) saturable. (31)P-Nuclear magnetic resonance findings with GR horseweed are consistent with the active transport of glyphosate and alternative substrates (AMPA and NMG) across the plasma membrane and tonoplast in a manner characteristic of ATP-binding cassette transporters, similar to those that have been identified in mammalian cells.

Deuterium Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Quantifies Tumor Fraction in a Mouse Model of a Mixed Radiation Necrosis / GL261-Glioblastoma Lesion.

PURPOSE: Distinguishing recurrent brain tumor from treatment effects, including late time-to-onset radiation necrosis (RN), presents an on-going challenge in post-treatment imaging of neuro-oncology patients. Experiments were performed in a novel mouse model that recapitulates the relevant clinical histologic features of recurrent glioblastoma growing in a RN environment, the mixed tumor/RN model. The goal of this work was to apply single-voxel deuterium (2H) magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), in concert with administration of deuterated glucose, to determine if the metabolic signature of aerobic glycolysis (Warburg effect: glucose → lactate in the presence of O2), a distinguishing characteristic of proliferating tumor, provides a quantitative readout of the tumor fraction (percent) in a mixed tumor/RN lesion. PROCEDURES: 2H MRS employed the SPin-ECho full-Intensity Acquired Localized (SPECIAL) MRS pulse sequence and outer volume suppression at 11.74 T. For each subject, a single 2H MRS voxel was placed over the mixed lesion as defined by contrast enhanced (CE) 1H T1-weighted MRI. Following intravenous administration of [6,6-2H2]glucose (Glc), 2H MRS monitored the glycolytic conversion to [3,3-2H2]lactate (Lac) and glutamate + glutamine (Glu + Gln = Glx). RESULTS: Based on previous work, the tumor fraction of the mixed lesion was quantified as the ratio of tumor volume, defined by 1H magnetization transfer experiments, vs. the total mixed-lesion volume. Metabolite 2H MR spectral-amplitude values were converted to metabolite concentrations using the natural-abundance semi-heavy water (1HO2H) resonance as an internal concentration standard. The 2H MR-determined [Lac] / [Glx] ratio was strongly linearly correlated with tumor fraction in the mixed lesion (n = 9), Pearson's r = 0.87, and 77% of the variation in the [Lac] / [Glx] ratio was due to tumor percent r2 = 0.77. CONCLUSIONS: This preclinical study supports the proposal that 2H MR could occupy a well-defined secondary role when standard-of-care 1H imaging is non-diagnostic regarding tumor presence and/or response to therapy.

Use of ethylene glycol to evaluate gradient performance in gradient-intensive diffusion MR sequences.

Imaging a phantom of known dimensions is a widely used and simple method for calibrating MRI gradient strength. However, full-range characterization of gradient response is not achievable using this approach. Measurement of the apparent diffusion coefficient of a liquid with known diffusivity allows for calibration of gradient amplitudes across a wider dynamic range. An important caveat is that the temperature dependence of the liquid's diffusion characteristics must be known, and the temperature of the calibration phantom must be recorded. In this report, we demonstrate that the diffusion coefficient of ethylene glycol is well described by Arrhenius-type behavior across the typical range of ambient MRI magnet temperatures. Because of ethylene glycol's utility as an NMR chemical-shift thermometer, the same (1)H MR spectroscopy measurements that are used for gradient calibration also simultaneously "report" the sample temperature. The high viscosity of ethylene glycol makes it well-suited for assessing gradient performance in demanding diffusion-weighted imaging and spectroscopy sequences.

Distinguishing Tumor Admixed in a Radiation Necrosis (RN) Background: 1H and 2H MR With a Novel Mouse Brain-Tumor/RN Model.

Purpose: Distinguishing radiation necrosis (RN) from recurrent tumor remains a vexing clinical problem with important health-care consequences for neuro-oncology patients. Here, mouse models of pure tumor, pure RN, and admixed RN/tumor are employed to evaluate hydrogen (1H) and deuterium (2H) magnetic resonance methods for distinguishing RN vs. tumor. Furthermore, proof-of-principle, range-finding deuterium (2H) metabolic magnetic resonance is employed to assess glycolytic signatures distinguishing RN vs. tumor. Materials and Methods: A pipeline of common quantitative 1H MRI contrasts, including an improved magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) sequence, and 2H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) following administration of 2H-labeled glucose, was applied to C57BL/6 mouse models of the following: (i) late time-to-onset RN, occurring 4-5 weeks post focal 50-Gy (50% isodose) Gamma Knife irradiation to the left cerebral hemisphere, (ii) glioblastoma, growing ~18-24 days post implantation of 50,000 mouse GL261 tumor cells into the left cerebral hemisphere, and (iii) mixed model, with GL261 tumor growing within a region of radiation necrosis (1H MRI only). Control C57BL/6 mice were also examined by 2H metabolic magnetic resonance. Results: Differences in quantitative 1H MRI parametric values of R1, R2, ADC, and MTR comparing pure tumor vs. pure RN were all highly statistically significant. Differences in these parameter values and DCEAUC for tumor vs. RN in the mixed model (tumor growing in an RN background) are also all significant, demonstrating that these contrasts-in particular, MTR-can effectively distinguish tumor vs. RN. Additionally, quantitative 2H MRS showed a highly statistically significant dominance of aerobic glycolysis (glucose ➔ lactate; fermentation, Warburg effect) in the tumor vs. oxidative respiration (glucose ➔ TCA cycle) in the RN and control brain. Conclusions: These findings, employing a pipeline of quantitative 1H MRI contrasts and 2H MRS following administration of 2H-labeled glucose, suggest a pathway for substantially improving the discrimination of tumor vs. RN in the clinic.

Intramyocardial triglyceride quantification by magnetic resonance spectroscopy: In vivo and ex vivo correlation in human subjects.

Accumulation of triglycerides (TG) in heart tissue has been associated with changes in left ventricular function. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy is currently the only noninvasive in vivo method to measure myocardial triglycerides content. The primary aim of this study was to determine if these in vivo measurements are specific to myocardial triglycerides in human subjects. Thus, in vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy measurements were conducted on orthotopic heart transplant patients (n = 8) immediately before they underwent routine biopsies and ex vivo measurements were made on the endomyocardial biopsy samples. The correlation coefficient between the two measurements was 0.97, with P < 0.005, demonstrating for the first time the specificity of the in vivo measurement in human heart. From accompanying reliability experiments, the standardized typical error for the in vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy method was estimated to be 7.0%, with a 95% confidence interval from 5.5 to 9.4%. These results suggest that proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy provides a specific and reliable measurement of myocardial triglycerides content and is suitable for routine studies.

Irradiation-Modulated Murine Brain Microenvironment Enhances GL261-Tumor Growth and Inhibits Anti-PD-L1 Immunotherapy.

PURPOSE: Clinical evidence suggests radiation induces changes in the brain microenvironment that affect subsequent response to treatment. This study investigates the effect of previous radiation, delivered six weeks prior to orthotopic tumor implantation, on subsequent tumor growth and therapeutic response to anti-PD-L1 therapy in an intracranial mouse model, termed the Radiation Induced Immunosuppressive Microenvironment (RI2M) model. METHOD AND MATERIALS: C57Bl/6 mice received focal (hemispheric) single-fraction, 30-Gy radiation using the Leksell GammaKnife® Perfexion™, a dose that does not produce frank/gross radiation necrosis. Non-irradiated GL261 glioblastoma tumor cells were implanted six weeks later into the irradiated hemisphere. Lesion volume was measured longitudinally by in vivo MRI. In a separate experiment, tumors were implanted into either previously irradiated (30 Gy) or non-irradiated mouse brain, mice were treated with anti-PD-L1 antibody, and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were constructed. Mouse brains were assessed by conventional hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, IBA-1 staining, which detects activated microglia and macrophages, and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis. RESULTS: Tumors in previously irradiated brain display aggressive, invasive growth, characterized by viable tumor and large regions of hemorrhage and necrosis. Mice challenged intracranially with GL261 six weeks after prior intracranial irradiation are unresponsive to anti-PD-L1 therapy. K-M curves demonstrate a statistically significant difference in survival for tumor-bearing mice treated with anti-PD-L1 antibody between RI2M vs. non-irradiated mice. The most prominent immunologic change in the post-irradiated brain parenchyma is an increased frequency of activated microglia. CONCLUSIONS: The RI2M model focuses on the persisting (weeks-to-months) impact of radiation applied to normal, control-state brain on the growth characteristics and immunotherapy response of subsequently implanted tumor. GL261 tumors growing in the RI2M grew markedly more aggressively, with tumor cells admixed with regions of hemorrhage and necrosis, and showed a dramatic loss of response to anti-PD-L1 therapy compared to tumors in non-irradiated brain. IHC and FACS analyses demonstrate increased frequency of activated microglia, which correlates with loss of sensitivity to checkpoint immunotherapy. Given that standard-of-care for primary brain tumor following resection includes concurrent radiation and chemotherapy, these striking observations strongly motivate detailed assessment of the late effects of the RI2M on tumor growth and therapeutic efficacy.

The use of MR-detectable reporter molecules and ions to evaluate diffusion in normal and ischemic brain.

As a result of the technical challenges associated with distinguishing the MR signals arising from intracellular and extracellular water, a variety of endogenous and exogenous MR-detectable molecules and ions have been employed as compartment-specific reporters of water motion. Although these reporter molecules and ions do not have the same apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) as water, their ADCs are assumed to be directly related to the ADC of the water in which they are solvated. This approach has been used to probe motion in the intra- and extracellular space of cultured cells and intact tissue. Despite potential interpretative challenges with the use of reporter molecules or ions and the wide variety used, the following conclusions are consistent considering all studies: (i) the apparent free diffusive motion in the intracellular space is approximately one-half of that in dilute aqueous solution; (ii) ADCs for intracellular and extracellular water are similar; (iii) the intracellular ADC decreases in association with brain injury. These findings provide support for the hypothesis that the overall brain water ADC decrease that accompanies brain injury is driven primarily by a decrease in the ADC of intracellular water. We review the studies supporting these conclusions, and interpret them in the context of explaining the decrease in overall brain water ADC that accompanies brain injury.

High dynamic-range magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) time-domain signal analysis.

In the absence of water signal suppression, the proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H MRS) in vivo water resonance signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is orders of magnitude larger than the SNR of all the other resonances. In this case, because the high-SNR water resonance dominates the data, it is difficult to obtain reliable parameter estimates for the low SNR resonances. Herein, a new model is described that offers a solution to this problem. In this model, the time-domain signal for the low SNR resonances is represented as the conventional sum of exponentially decaying complex sinusoids. However, the time-domain signal for the high SNR water resonance is assumed to be a complex sinusoid whose amplitude is slowly varying from pure exponential decay and whose phase is slowly varying from a constant frequency. Thus, the water resonance has only an instantaneous amplitude and frequency. The water signal is neither filtered nor subtracted from the data. Instead, Bayesian probability theory is used to simultaneously estimate the frequencies, decay-rate constants, and amplitudes for all the low SNR resonances, along with the water resonance's time-dependent amplitude and phase. While computationally intensive, this approach models all of the resonances, including the water and the metabolites of interest, to within the noise level.

Magnetic resonance diffusion characteristics of histologically defined prostate cancer in humans.

The contrast provided by diffusion-sensitive magnetic resonance offers the promise of improved tumor localization in organ-confined human prostate cancer (PCa). Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measurements of PCa were performed in vivo, in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy, and later, ex vivo, in the same patients' prostatectomy specimens. The imaging data were coregistered to histological sections of the prostatectomy specimens, thereby enabling unambiguous characterization of diffusion parameters in cancerous and benign tissues. Increased cellularity, and hence decreased luminal spaces, in peripheral zone PCa led to approximately 40% and 50% apparent diffusion policy (ADC) decrease compared with benign peripheral zone tissues in vivo and ex vivo, respectively. In contrast, no significant diffusion anisotropy differences were observed between the cancerous and noncancerous peripheral zone tissues. However, the dense fibromuscular tissues in prostate, such as stromal tissues in benign prostatic hyperplasia in central gland, exhibited high diffusion anisotropy. A tissue classification method is proposed to combine DTI and T2-weighted image contrasts that may provide improved specificity of PCa detection over T2-weighted imaging alone. PCa identified in volume rendered MR images qualitatively correlates well with histologically determined PCa foci.

Test-Retest Performance of a 1-Hour Multiparametric MR Image Acquisition Pipeline With Orthotopic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Patient-Derived Tumor Xenografts.

Preclinical imaging is critical in the development of translational strategies to detect diseases and monitor response to therapy. The National Cancer Institute Co-Clinical Imaging Resource Program was launched, in part, to develop best practices in preclinical imaging. In this context, the objective of this work was to develop a 1-hour, multiparametric magnetic resonance image-acquisition pipeline with triple-negative breast cancer patient-derived xenografts (PDXs). The 1-hour, image-acquisition pipeline includes T1- and T2-weighted scans, quantitative T1, T2, and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) parameter maps, and dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) time-course images. Quality-control measures used phantoms. The triple-negative breast cancer PDXs used for this study averaged 174 ± 73 µL in volume, with region of interest-averaged T1, T2, and ADC values of 1.9 ± 0.2 seconds, 62 ± 3 milliseconds, and 0.71 ± 0.06 µm2/ms (mean ± SD), respectively. Specific focus was on assessing the within-subject test-retest coefficient-of-variation (CVWS) for each of the magnetic resonance imaging metrics. Determination of PDX volume via manually drawn regions of interest is highly robust, with ∼1% CVWS. Determination of T2 is also robust with a ∼3% CVWS. Measurements of T1 and ADC are less robust with CVWS values in the 6%-11% range. Preliminary DCE test-retest time-course determinations, as quantified by area under the curve and Ktrans from 2-compartment exchange (extended Tofts) modeling, suggest that DCE is the least robust protocol, with ∼30%-40% CVWS.

Late Effects of Radiation Prime the Brain Microenvironment for Accelerated Tumor Growth.

PURPOSE: Glioblastoma (GBM) remains incurable, despite state-of-the-art treatment involving surgical resection, chemotherapy, and radiation. GBM invariably recurs as a highly invasive and aggressive phenotype, with the majority of recurrences within the radiation therapy treatment field. Although a large body of literature reporting on primary GBM exists, comprehensive studies of how prior irradiation alters recurrent tumor growth are lacking. An animal model that replicates the delayed effects of radiation therapy on the brain microenvironment, and its impact on the development of recurrent GBM, would be a significant advance. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Cohorts of mice received a single fraction of 0, 20, 30, or 40 Gy Gamma Knife irradiation. Naïve, nonirradiated mouse GBM tumor cells were implanted into the ipsilateral hemisphere 6 weeks postirradiation. Tumor growth was measured by magnetic resonance imaging, and animal survival was assessed by monitoring weight loss. Magnetic resonance imaging results were supported by hemotoxylin and eosin histology. RESULTS: Tumorous lesions generated from orthotopic implantation of nonirradiated mouse GBM tumor cells into irradiated mouse brain grew far more aggressively and invasively than implantation of these same cells into nonirradiated brain. Lesions in irradiated brain tissue were significantly larger, more necrotic, and more vascular than those in control animals with increased invasiveness of tumor cells in the periphery, consistent with the histologic features commonly observed in recurrent high-grade tumors in patients. CONCLUSIONS: Irradiation of normal brain primes the targeted cellular microenvironment for aggressive tumor growth when naïve (not previously irradiated) cancer cells are subsequently introduced. The resultant growth pattern is similar to the highly aggressive pattern of tumor regrowth observed clinically after therapeutic radiation therapy. The mouse model offers an avenue for determining the cellular and molecular basis for the aggressiveness of recurrent GBM.

Magnetization transfer induced biexponential longitudinal relaxation.

Longitudinal relaxation of brain water (1)H magnetization in mammalian brain in vivo is typically analyzed on a per-voxel basis using a monoexponential model, thereby assigning a single relaxation time constant to all (1)H magnetization within a given voxel. This approach was tested by obtaining inversion recovery (IR) data from gray matter of rats at 64 exponentially spaced recovery times. Using Bayesian probability for model selection, brain water data were best represented by a biexponential function characterized by fast and slow relaxation components. At 4.7T, the amplitude fraction of the rapidly relaxing component is 3.4% +/- 0.7% with a rate constant of 44 +/- 12 s(-1) (mean +/- SD; 174 voxels from four rats). The rate constant of the slow relaxing component is 0.66 +/- 0.04 s(-1). At 11.7T, the corresponding values are 6.9% +/- 0.9%, 19 +/- 5 s(-1), and 0.48 +/- 0.02 s(-1) (151 voxels from four rats). Several putative mechanisms for biexponential relaxation behavior were evaluated, and magnetization transfer (MT) between bulk water protons and nonaqueous protons was determined to be the source of biexponential longitudinal relaxation. MR methods requiring accurate quantification of longitudinal relaxation may need to take this effect explicitly into account.