TY - JOUR
T1 - Fetal lung development via quantitative biomarkers from diffusion MRI and histological validation in rhesus macaques
AU - Higano, Nara S.
AU - Cao, Xuefeng
AU - Guo, Jinbang
AU - Wang, Xiaojie
AU - Kroenke, Christopher D.
AU - Filuta, Alyssa L.
AU - Bridges, James P.
AU - Woods, Jason C.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc.
PY - 2022/7
Y1 - 2022/7
N2 - Objective: To demonstrate sensitivity of diffusion-weighted MRI (DW-MRI) to pulmonary cellular-space changes during normal in utero development using fetal rhesus macaques, compared to histological biomarkers. Study design: In vivo/ex vivo DW-MRI was acquired in 26 fetal rhesus lungs (early-canalicular through saccular stages). Apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) from MRI and tissue area density (H&E), alveolar type-II cells (ABCA3), and epithelial cells (TTF1) from histology were compared between gestational stages. Results: In vivo/ex vivo ADC correlated with each other (Spearman ρ = 0.47, P = 0.038; Bland–Altman bias = 0.0835) and with area-density (in vivo ρ = -0.56, P = 0.011; ex vivo ρ = −0.83, P < 0.0001). In vivo/ex vivo ADC increased exponentially toward saturation with gestational stage (R2 = 0.49/0.49), while area-density decreased exponentially (R2 = 0.53). ABCA3 and TTF1 stains demonstrated expected fetal cellular development. Conclusions: Fetal DW-MRI provides a non-invasive biomarker for pulmonary structural maturation, with a strong correlation to histological markers during tissue development in rhesus macaques. This method has strong potential for assessing human fetal development, particularly in patients with pulmonary hypoplasia.
AB - Objective: To demonstrate sensitivity of diffusion-weighted MRI (DW-MRI) to pulmonary cellular-space changes during normal in utero development using fetal rhesus macaques, compared to histological biomarkers. Study design: In vivo/ex vivo DW-MRI was acquired in 26 fetal rhesus lungs (early-canalicular through saccular stages). Apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) from MRI and tissue area density (H&E), alveolar type-II cells (ABCA3), and epithelial cells (TTF1) from histology were compared between gestational stages. Results: In vivo/ex vivo ADC correlated with each other (Spearman ρ = 0.47, P = 0.038; Bland–Altman bias = 0.0835) and with area-density (in vivo ρ = -0.56, P = 0.011; ex vivo ρ = −0.83, P < 0.0001). In vivo/ex vivo ADC increased exponentially toward saturation with gestational stage (R2 = 0.49/0.49), while area-density decreased exponentially (R2 = 0.53). ABCA3 and TTF1 stains demonstrated expected fetal cellular development. Conclusions: Fetal DW-MRI provides a non-invasive biomarker for pulmonary structural maturation, with a strong correlation to histological markers during tissue development in rhesus macaques. This method has strong potential for assessing human fetal development, particularly in patients with pulmonary hypoplasia.
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U2 - 10.1038/s41372-021-01236-x
DO - 10.1038/s41372-021-01236-x
M3 - Article
C2 - 34686834
AN - SCOPUS:85117608938
SN - 0743-8346
VL - 42
SP - 866
EP - 872
JO - Journal of Perinatology
JF - Journal of Perinatology
IS - 7
ER -