Abstract
Inflammation and fibrosis are hallmarks of tissue repair process and organ failure progression in cardiovascular diseases. Paradigm-shifting research on diverse immune cell populations within the cardiovascular system have enabled discovery of new biomarkers fostering development of diagnostic and therapeutic agents at the molecular level to better manage cardiovascular diseases. To date, a variety of molecular imaging agents have been developed to visualize the biomarkers expressed on immune cells and fibroblasts within their crosstalk network, which drives the pathogenesis of fibrosis triggered by both innate and adaptive immunity. Herein, key biomarkers up-regulated in the immune-fibrosis axis are discussed. The promising molecular imaging agents to reveal this critical pathological process are summarized.
- Animal Imaging
- Cardiology (basic/technical)
- Molecular Imaging
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Fibrosis
- Immune system
- Inflammation
- Molecular imaging
- Copyright © 2021 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Inc.