PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Benjamin Bondue AU - Félicie Sherer AU - Gaetan Van Simaeys AU - Gilles Doumont AU - Dominique Egrise AU - Yousof Yakoub AU - François Huaux AU - Marc Parmentier AU - Sandrine Rorive AU - Sébastien Sauvage AU - Simon Lacroix AU - Olivier Vosters AU - Paul De Vuyst AU - Serge Goldman TI - PET/CT with <sup>18</sup>F-FDG– and <sup>18</sup>F-FBEM–Labeled Leukocytes for Metabolic Activity and Leukocyte Recruitment Monitoring in a Mouse Model of Pulmonary Fibrosis AID - 10.2967/jnumed.114.147421 DP - 2015 Jan 01 TA - Journal of Nuclear Medicine PG - 127--132 VI - 56 IP - 1 4099 - http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/56/1/127.short 4100 - http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/56/1/127.full SO - J Nucl Med2015 Jan 01; 56 AB - Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is characterized by a progressive and irreversible respiratory failure. Validated noninvasive methods able to assess disease activity are essential for prognostic purposes as well as for the evaluation of emerging antifibrotic treatments. Methods: C57BL/6 mice were used in a murine model of pulmonary fibrosis induced by an intratracheal instillation of bleomycin (control mice were instilled with a saline solution). At different times after instillation, PET/CT with 18F-FDG– or 18F-4-fluorobenzamido-N-ethylamino-maleimide (18F-FBEM)–labeled leukocytes was performed to assess metabolic activity and leukocyte recruitment, respectively. Results: In bleomycin-treated mice, a higher metabolic activity was measured on 18F-FDG PET/CT scans from day 7 to day 24 after instillation, with a peak of activity measured at day 14. Of note, lung mean standardized uptake values correlated with bleomycin doses, histologic score of fibrosis, lung hydroxyproline content, and weight loss. Moreover, during the inflammatory phase of the model (day 7), but not the fibrotic phase (day 23), bleomycin-treated mice presented with an enhanced leukocyte recruitment as assessed by 18F-FBEM–labeled leukocyte PET/CT. Autoradiographic analysis of lung sections and CD45 immunostaining confirm the higher and early recruitment of leukocytes in bleomycin-treated mice, compared with control mice. Conclusion: 18F-FDG– and 18F-FBEM–labeled leukocyte PET/CT enable monitoring of metabolic activity and leukocyte recruitment in a mouse model of pulmonary fibrosis. Implications for preclinical evaluation of antifibrotic therapy are expected.