Elsevier

Journal of Nuclear Cardiology

Volume 11, Issue 3, May–June 2004, Pages 349-357
Journal of Nuclear Cardiology

From bench to imaging
Role of molecular imaging in defining and denying death…

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nuclcard.2004.03.008Get rights and content

Introduction

In 1992 Fadok et al1 established the essentials for a unique apoptosis detection method by demonstrating that apoptotic cells externalize phosphatidylserine (PS), a plasma membrane phospholipid, at their surface. Reutelingsperger and colleagues2 discovered that annexin A5 binds to PS that is exposed by cells undergoing apoptosis. The high-affinity binding capacities of annexin A5 provide us with an excellent tool by which to detect apoptotic cells. Today, annexin A5 is globally used as a rapid way to detect apoptotic cells in vitro as well as in vivo. The first attempts to detect apoptosis in vivo were performed by van den Eijnde et al,3 who demonstrated detection of apoptosis in the developing embryo by direct injection of biotinylated annexin A5 in the heart. In this review we will discuss the use of annexin A5 in the detection of apoptosis in cardiovascular diseases, such as acute myocardial infarction and atherosclerotic plaque instability. We will focus on the detection of cardiac apoptosis induced by ischemia and reperfusion and discuss the possibilities for reversal of apoptosis to salvage myocardial cells and to preserve cardiac function.

Section snippets

Apoptosis in general

Apoptosis is a mode of programmed cell death, which results from a molecular program based on a well-organized biochemistry. Apoptosis is used by multicellular organisms to regulate their cell number and to remove unwanted and dysfunctional cells. Strict regulation of cell number through apoptosis is an essential process in the normal development and homeostasis of the healthy adult. Dysregulation of apoptosis is a major determinant in the etiology and progression of a variety of diseases, such

Molecular imaging in general

Molecular imaging is a swiftly developing technique that aims to visualize the biology and physiology of disease in organisms in a repetitive and noninvasive way.5 In conventional imaging, such as magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography, the anatomic consequences of a disease are visualized, such as the size and localization of a tumor. The limited spatial resolution of conventional imaging techniques does not allow the visualization of the anatomic consequences of a disease below a

Acknowledgements

The authors have indicated they have no financial conflicts of interest.

First page preview

First page preview
Click to open first page preview

References (19)

  • G Koopman et al.

    Annexin V for flow cytometric detection of phosphatidylserine expression on B cells undergoing apoptosis

    Blood

    (1994)
  • L Hofstra et al.

    Visualisation of cell death in vivo in patients with acute myocardial infarction

    Lancet

    (2000)
  • V.A Fadok et al.

    Exposure of phosphatidylserine on the surface of apoptotic lymphocytes triggers specific recognition and removal by macrophages

    J Immunol

    (1992)
  • S.M van den Eijnde et al.

    In situ detection of apoptosis during embryogenesis with annexin Vfrom whole mount to ultrastructure

    Cytometry

    (1997)
  • M.O Hengartner

    The biochemistry of apoptosis

    Nature

    (2000)
  • R Weissleder et al.

    Molecular imaging

    Radiology

    (2001)
  • T.F Massoud et al.

    Molecular imaging in living subjectsseeing fundamental biological processes in a new light

    Genes Dev

    (2003)
  • G.A Lammie et al.

    Recently occluded intracranial and extracranial carotid arteries. Relevance of the unstable atherosclerotic plaque

    Stroke

    (1999)
  • V.A Fadok

    Clearancethe last and often forgotten stage of apoptosis

    J Mammary Gland Biol Neoplasia

    (1999)
There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (0)

View full text