Bioluminescence imaging of energy depletion in vascular pathology: patent ductus arteriosus and atherosclerosis

• Published in: Journal of biophotonics Vol. 5; no. 4; pp. 336 - 344
• Main Authors: Leppänen, Olli, Ekstrand, Matias, Bräsen, Jan Hinrich, Levin, Max
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin WILEY-VCH Verlag 01.04.2012; WILEY‐VCH Verlag
• Subjects: Adenosine Triphosphate - metabolism; Animals; Arteries - metabolism; Atherosclerosis; Atherosclerosis - metabolism; ATP depletion; Bioluminescence imaging; Cardiac and Cardiovascular Systems; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent - complications; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent - metabolism; Energy Metabolism; Glucose; Glucose - metabolism; Glycogen; Glycogen - metabolism; Humans; Hypoxia; Infant; Kardiologi; Lactic Acid - metabolism; Luminescent Measurements - methods; Macrophage; Patent ductus arteriosus; Premature Birth - metabolism; Pyruvic Acid - metabolism; Rabbits
• ISSN: 1864-063X; 1864-0648; 1864-0648
• DOI: 10.1002/jbio.201100096

The artery wall may develop energy depletion due to insufficient nutritional supply. However, until recently it has not been possible to validate this hypothesis because no available technology has allowed assessment of energy metabolism with sufficient spatial resolution. We use high resolution bioluminescence metabolic imaging to study energy metabolism in two mechanistically different vascular pathologies: patent ductus arteriosus and atherosclerosis. Physiological energy depletion in postnatally constricting ductus arteriosus promotes permanent closure. Insufficient ductus energy depletion, common in preterm infants, is associated with persistent patent ductus arteriosus, a condition with significantly increased morbidity and mortality. In contrast, in atherosclerosis, energy depletion in the macrophage‐rich lesion core promotes cell death contributing to lesion instability and disease progression. (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)