Jones Meredith A, MacCuaig William M, Frickenstein Alex N, Camalan Seda, Gurcan Metin N, Holter-Chakrabarty Jennifer, Morris Katherine T, McNally Molly W, Booth Kristina K, Carter Steven, Grizzle William E, McNally Lacey R
Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA.
Stephenson Cancer Center, University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA.
Biomedicines. 2021 Feb 4;9(2):152. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines9020152.
Inflammatory diseases include a wide variety of highly prevalent conditions with high mortality rates in severe cases ranging from cardiovascular disease, to rheumatoid arthritis, to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, to graft vs. host disease, to a number of gastrointestinal disorders. Many diseases that are not considered inflammatory per se are associated with varying levels of inflammation. Imaging of the immune system and inflammatory response is of interest as it can give insight into disease progression and severity. Clinical imaging technologies such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are traditionally limited to the visualization of anatomical information; then, the presence or absence of an inflammatory state must be inferred from the structural abnormalities. Improvement in available contrast agents has made it possible to obtain functional information as well as anatomical. In vivo imaging of inflammation ultimately facilitates an improved accuracy of diagnostics and monitoring of patients to allow for better patient care. Highly specific molecular imaging of inflammatory biomarkers allows for earlier diagnosis to prevent irreversible damage. Advancements in imaging instruments, targeted tracers, and contrast agents represent a rapidly growing area of preclinical research with the hopes of quick translation to the clinic.
炎症性疾病包括多种高度常见的病症，严重情况下死亡率很高，范围从心血管疾病、类风湿性关节炎、慢性阻塞性肺疾病、移植物抗宿主病到多种胃肠道疾病。许多本身不被视为炎症性的疾病也与不同程度的炎症相关。免疫系统和炎症反应的成像备受关注，因为它可以深入了解疾病的进展和严重程度。传统上，诸如计算机断层扫描（CT）和磁共振成像（MRI）等临床成像技术仅限于可视化解剖信息；然后，必须从结构异常推断炎症状态的存在与否。可用造影剂的改进使得获取功能信息以及解剖信息成为可能。炎症的体内成像最终有助于提高诊断的准确性和对患者的监测，从而实现更好的患者护理。炎症生物标志物的高特异性分子成像能够实现更早的诊断，以防止不可逆转的损害。成像仪器、靶向示踪剂和造影剂的进展代表了一个快速发展的临床前研究领域，有望迅速转化应用于临床。
