Prognosis Evaluation Using 18F-Alfatide II PET in a Rat Model of Spinal Cord Injury Treated With Estrogen

Abstract

Spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to severe dysfunction below injured segment and poses a great pressure to the individual and society. In this study, we applied 18F-alfatide II positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) to monitor angiogenesis in an SCI model after estrogen (E2) treatment, as well as to evaluate the prognosis in a noninvasive manner. The SCI model was established with male rats and the rats were randomly divided into E2-treated group (SCI + E2) and E2-untreated group (SCI). Sham group was also used as control (Sham). The angiogenesis after SCI was monitored by 18F-alfatide II PET/CT and verified by immunofluorescence of CD31 and CD61. We also evaluated the level of E2 and growth-associated protein 43 (GAP43) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Finally, Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) scores were determined to evaluate the exercise capacity of the rats in all 3 groups. Our results showed that the BBB score of SCI + E2 group was significantly different from that of SCI group (P