TY - JOUR
T1 - Photodynamic therapy using a protease-mediated theranostic agent reduces cathepsin-b activity in mouse atheromata in vivo
AU - Shon, Soo Min
AU - Choi, Yongdoo
AU - Kim, Jeong Yeon
AU - Lee, Dong Kun
AU - Park, Jin Yong
AU - Schellingerhout, Dawid
AU - Kim, Dong Eog
PY - 2013/6
Y1 - 2013/6
N2 - Objective-To investigate whether an intravenously injected cathepsin-B activatable theranostic agent (L-SR15) would be cleaved in and release a fluorescent agent (chlorin-e6) in mouse atheromata, allowing both the diagnostic visualization and therapeutic application of these fluorophores as photosensitizers during photodynamic therapy to attenuate plaquedestabilizing cathepsin-B activity by selectively eliminating macrophages. Approach and Results-Thirty-week-old apolipoprotein E knock-out mice (n=15) received intravenous injection of L-SR15 theranostic agent, control agent D-SR16, or saline 3× (D0, D7, D14). Twenty-four hours after each injection, the bilateral carotid arteries were exposed, and Cy5.5 near-infrared fluorescent imaging was performed. Fluorescent signal progressively accumulated in the atheromata of the L-SR15 group animals only, indicating that photosensitizers had been released from the theranostic agent and were accumulating in the plaque. After each imaging session, photodynamic therapy was applied with a continuous-wave diode-laser. Additional near-infrared fluorescent imaging at a longer wavelength (Cy7) with a cathepsin-B-sensing activatable molecular imaging agent showed attenuation of cathepsin- B-related signal in the L-SR15 group. Histological studies demonstrated that L-SR15-based photodynamic therapy decreased macrophage infiltration by inducing apoptosis without significantly affecting plaque size or smooth muscle cell numbers. Toxicity studies (n=24) showed that marked erythematous skin lesion was generated in C57/BL6 mice at 24 hours after intravenous injection of free chlorin-e6 and ultraviolet light irradiation; however, L-SR15 or saline did not cause cutaneous phototoxicity beyond that expected of ultraviolet irradiation alone, neither did we observe systemic toxicity or neurobehavioral changes. Conclusions-This is the first study showing that macrophage-secreted cathepsin-B activity in atheromata could be attenuated by photodynamic therapy using a protease-mediated theranostic agent.
AB - Objective-To investigate whether an intravenously injected cathepsin-B activatable theranostic agent (L-SR15) would be cleaved in and release a fluorescent agent (chlorin-e6) in mouse atheromata, allowing both the diagnostic visualization and therapeutic application of these fluorophores as photosensitizers during photodynamic therapy to attenuate plaquedestabilizing cathepsin-B activity by selectively eliminating macrophages. Approach and Results-Thirty-week-old apolipoprotein E knock-out mice (n=15) received intravenous injection of L-SR15 theranostic agent, control agent D-SR16, or saline 3× (D0, D7, D14). Twenty-four hours after each injection, the bilateral carotid arteries were exposed, and Cy5.5 near-infrared fluorescent imaging was performed. Fluorescent signal progressively accumulated in the atheromata of the L-SR15 group animals only, indicating that photosensitizers had been released from the theranostic agent and were accumulating in the plaque. After each imaging session, photodynamic therapy was applied with a continuous-wave diode-laser. Additional near-infrared fluorescent imaging at a longer wavelength (Cy7) with a cathepsin-B-sensing activatable molecular imaging agent showed attenuation of cathepsin- B-related signal in the L-SR15 group. Histological studies demonstrated that L-SR15-based photodynamic therapy decreased macrophage infiltration by inducing apoptosis without significantly affecting plaque size or smooth muscle cell numbers. Toxicity studies (n=24) showed that marked erythematous skin lesion was generated in C57/BL6 mice at 24 hours after intravenous injection of free chlorin-e6 and ultraviolet light irradiation; however, L-SR15 or saline did not cause cutaneous phototoxicity beyond that expected of ultraviolet irradiation alone, neither did we observe systemic toxicity or neurobehavioral changes. Conclusions-This is the first study showing that macrophage-secreted cathepsin-B activity in atheromata could be attenuated by photodynamic therapy using a protease-mediated theranostic agent.
KW - Atherosclerosis
KW - Cathepsin-B
KW - Molecular imaging
KW - Photodynamic therapy
KW - Photosensitizer
KW - Protease-mediated theranostic agent
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84879126791&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1161/ATVBAHA.113.301290
DO - 10.1161/ATVBAHA.113.301290
M3 - Article
C2 - 23539220
AN - SCOPUS:84879126791
SN - 1079-5642
VL - 33
SP - 1360
EP - 1365
JO - Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology
JF - Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology
IS - 6
ER -