Ultrasound imaging of apoptosis: high-resolution non-invasive monitoring of programmed cell death in vitro, in situ and in vivo.
Br J Cancer
; 81(3): 520-7, 1999 Oct.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-10507779
ABSTRACT
A new non-invasive method for monitoring apoptosis has been developed using high frequency (40 MHz) ultrasound imaging. Conventional ultrasound backscatter imaging techniques were used to observe apoptosis occurring in response to anticancer agents in cells in vitro, in tissues ex vivo and in live animals. The mechanism behind this ultrasonic detection was identified experimentally to be the subcellular nuclear changes, condensation followed by fragmentation, that cells undergo during apoptosis. These changes dramatically increase the high frequency ultrasound scattering efficiency of apoptotic cells over normal cells (25- to 50-fold change in intensity). The result is that areas of tissue undergoing apoptosis become much brighter in comparison to surrounding viable tissues. The results provide a framework for the possibility of using high frequency ultrasound imaging in the future to non-invasively monitor the effects of chemotherapeutic agents and other anticancer treatments in experimental animal systems and in patients.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Tumor Cells, Cultured
/
Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute
/
Apoptosis
/
Antineoplastic Agents
Type of study:
Diagnostic_studies
Limits:
Animals
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
En
Journal:
Br J Cancer
Year:
1999
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Canadá