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. 2016 Apr 16:18:19.
doi: 10.1186/s12968-016-0241-6.

Myocardial T1 maps reflect histological findings in acute and chronic stages of myocarditis in a rat model

Sarah Jeuthe  1 , Katharina Wassilew  2 , Darach O H-Ici  3 , Tiago Ferreira da Silva  3 , Frédéric Münch  3 , Felix Berger  3 , Titus Kuehne  3 , Burkert Pieske  4 , Daniel R Messroghli  4
Affiliations

Myocardial T1 maps reflect histological findings in acute and chronic stages of myocarditis in a rat model

Sarah Jeuthe et al. J Cardiovasc Magn Reson. .

Abstract

Background: Cardiovascular magnetic resonance offers both diagnostic and prognostic information in myocarditis. Using an established animal model of myocarditis, the aim of this study was to measure myocardial T1 before the onset, in the acute and in the chronic phases of the disease and to compare its course with histological and immunohistochemistry findings.

Methods: Male young Lewis rats were immunized with 0.25 mg porcine myocardial myosin into the rear footpads on day 0. Native and contrast-enhanced ECG-triggered cardiac MRI examinations were performed before immunization on day 0 and on days 14, 21 and 35. Left ventricular function, pre- and post- contrast T1 parameters and LGE images were assessed using Small animal look-locker inversion recovery (SALLI). For each of the indicated time points a minimum of 4 rats were randomly sacrificed for pathological investigations including conventional histology (HE and Sirius-Red staining) and immunohistochemistry (CD 68) investigations.

Results: All immunized rats developed myocarditis (morbidity 100%). Histologically we observed increased wall thickness with biventricular macrophage-rich mixed inflammatory infiltrates. All rats with a histologically severe myocarditis showed increased native T1 and decreased post-contrast T1 of the myocardium.

Conclusions: The assessment of native T1 and post-contrast T1 allows accurate differentiation between healthy myocardium and myocardium with inflammation and also between the acute and chronic phases of the disease.

Keywords: Autoimmune myocarditis; Cardiovascular magnetic resonance; Dilated cardiomyopathy; Lewis rat; T1 mapping.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Functional and morphological CMR results in EAM. Bar graphs show changes in native T1 (a), post-contrast T1 (b), partition coefficient (c), LGE Score (d), LVEF (e) and LVSV (f) between rats before immunization (day 0), 14, 21 and 35 days after immunization. Results are presented as the mean ± SEM. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001 vs. 0d
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Comparison of CMR and histological findings in different stages of EAM. Pictures show histological (CD68-staining q–t, HE-staining m–p, Sirius Red-staining u–x), T1 (native T1 short axes images a–d, post-contrast T1 short axes images e–h) and LGE (LGE short axes images i–l) changes in rats before immunization (day 0), 14, 21 and 35 days after immunization
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Histological results in different stages of EAM. Bar graphs show histological changes before immunization (day 0), 14, 21 and 35 days after immunization. a CD68-staining, b Sirius Red-staining. Results are presented as the mean ± SEM. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001 vs. 0d
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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