Summary
Echogenic immunoliposomes (ELIPs) can be used to specifically enhance the echogenicity of endothelial injury and atheroma components in vivo. Researchers developed ELIPs that are targeted to specific molecular components of endothelium and atheroma.
These ELIPs were then injected into Yucatan miniswine which had been fed a high-cholesterol diet for two months. The researchers used intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) to image the arteries of the miniswine 5 and 10 minutes after ELIP injection. They found that ELIPs enhanced the echogenicity of endothelial injury components, such as exposed fibrin, and atherosclerotic components, such as VCAM-1, ICAM-1, TF, fibrin, and fibrinogen.
The researchers also found that ELIPs increased the mean grayscale (MGS) of atheroma by 39%. These findings suggest that ELIPs can be used to specifically image and characterize endothelial injury and atheroma in vivo.
