Utilizing Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasonography with Phosphatidylserine Microbubbles to Detect Placental Inflammation in Rhesus Macaques.
Molecules
; 28(7)2023 Mar 23.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37049657
ABSTRACT
The ability to comprehensively monitor physiological and detect pathophysiologic processes early during pregnancy can reduce maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is a non-invasive imaging technology that utilizes the acoustic detection of microbubbles to examine vascular spaces. Furthermore, microbubbles conjugated to specific compounds can focus studies on precise physiological pathways. We hypothesized that CEUS with phosphatidylserine microbubbles (MB-PS) could be employed to monitor placental inflammation. We tested this hypothesis in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), a translational and relevant animal model of human placental health. As placental inflammation impacts many at-risk pregnancies, we performed CEUS with MB-PS in pregnant macaques fed a high-fat diet (e.g., a western-style diet, WSD) in the presence or absence of testosterone (T) to mimic the increased risk of polycystic ovary syndrome and subfertility. We have previously demonstrated a placental inflammation phenotype in this model, and, thus, we related the MB-PS CEUS signal intensity to placental inflammation markers selectin p and angiopoietins. Testosterone exposure increased the MB-PS signal in the placental microcirculation on the maternal side compared to control animals. We found that T increased placental weight and decreased angiopoietin 2 (ANGPT2) immunoreactivity. Furthermore, a significant inverse correlation was found between MB-PS signal and ANGPT2. This indicated that CEUS with MB-PS can be used to monitor placental parameters. We propose that CEUS with MB-PS could aid in the identification of pregnancies at risk of placental vascular compromise.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Fosfatidilserinas
/
Placenta
Tipo de estudio:
Diagnostic_studies
Límite:
Animals
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Pregnancy
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Molecules
Asunto de la revista:
BIOLOGIA
Año:
2023
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos