Ann Surg Treat Res.  2015 May;88(5):276-280. 10.4174/astr.2015.88.5.276.

Noninvasive monitoring of mouse renal allograft rejection using micro-CT

• Hou J
• Fujino M
• Cai S
• Ding Q
• Li XK

• KMID: 2166996
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4174/astr.2015.88.5.276

Abstract

PURPOSE
Acute renal graft rejection can only be definitively diagnosed by renal biopsy. However, biopsies carry a risk of renal transplant injury and loss. Micro-CT is widely used in preclinical studies of small animals. Here, we propose micro-CT could noninvasively monitor and evaluate renal location and function in a mouse kidney transplant model.
METHODS
Orthotopic kidney transplantation was performed in a BALB/c -to- C57BL/6j or C57BL/6j-to- C57BL/6j mouse model. After optimizing imaging techniques, five mice were imaged with micro-CT and the findings were verified histologically.
RESULTS
Micro-CT can monitor and evaluate renal location and function after orthotopic kidney transplantation. There were no mice deaths while renal transplants were failure.
CONCLUSION
We propose that graft micro-CT imaging is a new option that is noninvasive and specific, and can aid in early detection and follow-up of acute renal rejection. This method is potentially useful to improve posttransplant rejection monitoring.

Keyword

Kidney transplant; Micro-CT; Noninvasive monitoring

MeSH Terms

Allografts*
Animals
Biopsy
Follow-Up Studies
Graft Rejection
Kidney
Kidney Transplantation
Mice*
Transplants

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Imaging of the mouse native and transplanted kidney. The statistical atlas-based registration was validated based on both noncontrast (A/A') and contrast-enhanced (B/B') micro-CT images. Micro-CT images of the transplanted mouse kidneys day 2 (C/C' and D/D'), 7 (E/E' and F/F'), 14 (G/G'), and 60 (H/H') post operation were obtained. Early (5 minutes; without apostrophe: C to H) and delayed (30 minutes: with apostrophe: C' to H') micro-CT scans were taken to confirm the presence of living renal transplant. Living transplanted kidneys were detected by micro-CT in left abdomen at two days after surgery (C/C' and D/D'). In syngeneic transplanted models, the living renal transplant can be detected at more than two months (G/G'). However, allograft transplanted kidneys were found nonfunctioning at day 7 (F/F') and 14 (H/H') post operation.

• 

  Fig. 2 Histological assessment. H&E staining was performed on the syngeneic transplanted kidneys at day 7 (A) and 60 (B) and allograft transplanted kidneys at day 7 (C) and 14 (D). Comparison with syngeneic transplanted kidney, the allograft transplanted kidneys showed venulitis, mild tubulitis, interstitial infiltration, and severe tubulitis. Bar indicates 200 µm and Bar in inset indicates 100 µm.

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