Canaple Laurence, Beuf Olivier, Armenean Mircea, Hasserodt Jens, Samarut Jacques, Janier Marc
Plateforme ANIMAGE, Bâtiment CERMEP, Bron, France.
NMR Biomed. 2008 Feb;21(2):129-37. doi: 10.1002/nbm.1169.
Zebrafish embryo is a well-established model used in many fields of modern experimental biology. We demonstrate that it provides a promising model platform for exploring fundamental MR aspects that can be used to screen and study active MR molecules before progressing to more complex living systems. Setting up a dedicated MRI methodology, we arrayed a large number of living embryos, which were microinjected at very early stages of development with different contrast agents. We also showed that MRI signal intensity correlates with the gadolinium content of zebrafish embryos. This allowed us to validate a new approach for MR compound screening. Using a specific surface coil of 5 mm inner diameter, we obtained for the first time high-spatial-resolution images at 7 T of living zebrafish embryos with a 47 microm isotropic voxel size with an acquisition time of 39 min. Finally, we discuss potential applications of this development: a viable in vivo assay for screening small pharmacological compounds; assessment of and tracking the action of molecules over time. Exploring in vivo biological activity, gene function analysis, and detailed characterization of disease processes in fish are natural extensions of these preliminary studies.
斑马鱼胚胎是现代实验生物学众多领域中广泛应用的成熟模型。我们证明，它为探索磁共振成像（MR）的基本方面提供了一个有前景的模型平台，可用于在进入更复杂的生命系统之前筛选和研究活性MR分子。通过建立专门的MRI方法，我们排列了大量在发育早期微注射不同造影剂的活胚胎。我们还表明，MRI信号强度与斑马鱼胚胎中的钆含量相关。这使我们能够验证一种新的MR化合物筛选方法。使用内径为5毫米的特定表面线圈，我们首次在7T磁场下以47微米各向同性体素大小、采集时间为39分钟获得了活斑马鱼胚胎的高空间分辨率图像。最后，我们讨论了这一进展的潜在应用：一种可行的体内筛选小药理化合物的测定方法；随时间评估和追踪分子的作用。探索体内生物活性、基因功能分析以及详细表征鱼类疾病过程是这些初步研究的自然延伸。
