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EPR monitoring of wound oxygenation as a biomarker of response to gene therapy encoding hCAP‐18/LL37 peptide
Author(s) -
Desmet Céline M.,
Vandermeulen Gaëlle,
Bouzin Caroline,
Lam Martin C.,
Préat Véronique,
Levêque Philippe,
Gallez Bernard
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
magnetic resonance in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.696
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1522-2594
pISSN - 0740-3194
DOI - 10.1002/mrm.26956
Subject(s) - oxygenation , magnetic resonance imaging , medicine , hypoxia (environmental) , biomarker , andrology , pathology , oxygen , chemistry , biochemistry , radiology , organic chemistry
Purpose To investigate the value of electron paramagnetic resonance oximetry to follow oxygenation in wounds treated by a plasmid‐encoding host defense peptide hCAP‐18/LL37. Methods Flaps were created on diabetic mice (7‐ or 12‐week‐old db/db mice) presenting different levels of microangiopathy. The hCAP‐18/LL37‐encoding plasmids were administered in wounds by electroporation. Low‐frequency electron paramagnetic resonance oximetry using lithium phthalocyanine as the oxygen sensor was used to monitor wound oxygenation in flaps during the healing process. Flaps were analyzed by immunohistochemistry to assess hypoxia and cell proliferation. Kinetics of closure was also assessed in excisional skin wounds. Results A reoxygenation of the flap was observed during the healing process in the 7‐week‐old db/db treated mice, but not in the untreated mice and the 12‐week‐old mice. Histological studies demonstrated less hypoxic regions and higher proportion of proliferating cells in hCAP‐18/LL37‐treated flaps in the 7‐week‐old db/db treated mice compared with untreated mice. Consistently, the kinetics of excisional wound closure was improved by hCAP‐18/LL37 treatment in the 7‐week‐old db/db but not in the 12‐week‐old mice. Conclusions Oxygenation measured by electron paramagnetic resonance oximetry is a promising biomarker of response to treatments designed to modulate wound oxygenation. Magn Reson Med 79:3267–3273, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.