Multimodal imaging of orthotopic hepatocellular carcinoma using small animal PET, bioluminescence and contrast enhanced CT imaging

Molecular imaging with small-animal PET and bioluminescence imaging has been used as an important tool in cancer research. One of the disadvantages of these imaging modalities is the lack of anatomic information. To obtain fusion images with both molecular and anatomical information, small-animal PET and bioluminescence images fused with contrast enhance CT image in orthotopic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) model. We retrovially transfected dual gene (HSV1-tk and firefly luciferase) to morris hepatoma cells. The expression of HSV1-tk and luciferase was checked by optical imager and in vitro radiolabeled FIAU uptake, respectively and also checked by RT-PCR analysis. MCA-TL cells (5X105/ 0.05 ml) mixed with matrigel (1: 10) injected into left lobe of liver in nude mice. 124I-FIAU-PET, bioluminescence and contrast enhanced CT images were obtained in the orthotopic HCC model and digital whole body autoradiography (DWBA) was performed. Small animal PET image was obtained at 2 h post injection of 124I-FIAU and contrast enhanced CT image was obtained at 3 h post injection of Fenestra LC (0.3 ml). MCA-TL cells showed more specific 124I-FIAU uptake and higher luminescent activity than parental cells. The orthotopic HCC was detected by 124I-FIAU PET, contrast enhanced CT, and BLI and confirmed by DWBA. Registered image in orthotopic HCC t models showed a good correlation of images from both PET and CT. Contrast enhanced CT image delineated margin of HCC. Multimodal imaging with 124I-FIAU PET, bioluminescence and contrast enhanced CT allows a precise and improved detection of tumor in orthotopic hepatocellular carcinoma model. Multimodal imaging is potentially useful for monitoring progression of hepatic metastasis and for the evaluation of cancer treatments