AUTHOR=Dalby Sina , Skallerup Sofie , Baun Christina , Christensen Lene Gaarsmand , Rathe Mathias , Palner Mikael , Husby Steffen , Moeller Jesper Bonnet 

TITLE=PET/CT imaging detects intestinal inflammation in a mouse model of doxorubicin-induced mucositis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oncology

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2022.1061804

DOI=10.3389/fonc.2022.1061804

ISSN=2234-943X

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Introduction</title><p>A severe side effect of cancer chemotherapy is the development of gastrointestinal mucositis, characterised by mucosal inflammation. We investigated if 2-deoxy-2-[<sup>18</sup>F] fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography combined with computed tomography (2-[<sup>18</sup>F]FDG-PET/CT) could visualise gastrointestinal mucositis in mice treated with the chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>In this study, gastrointestinal inflammation was longitudinally evaluated by 2-[<sup>18</sup>F]FDG-PET/CT scans before and 1, 3, 6, and 10 days after treatment with doxorubicin. Doxorubicin-treated mice were compared to saline-treated littermates using the abdominal standard uptake value of 2-[<sup>18</sup>F]FDG corrected for body weight (SUV<sub>BW</sub>).</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Abdominal SUV<sub>BW</sub> was significantly increased on day 1 (p &lt; 0.0001), day 3 (p &lt; 0.0001), and day 6 (p &lt; 0.05) in the doxorubicin-treated group compared to controls. Abdominal SUV<sub>BW</sub> returned to baseline levels on day 10. In the doxorubicin group, the largest weight loss was observed on day 3 (control <italic>vs</italic> doxorubicin, mean percent of baseline weight: (98.5 ± 3.2% <italic>vs</italic> 87.9 ± 4.6%, p &lt; 0.0001). Moreover, in the doxorubicin-treated group, villus lengths were decreased by 23-28% on days 1 and 3 in the small intestine (p &lt; 0.05), and jejunal levels of tumour necrosis factor and interleukin-1β were significantly increased on day 3 (p &lt; 0.05).</p></sec><sec><title>Discussion</title><p>Together, these findings indicate that sequential 2-[<sup>18</sup>F]FDG-PET/CT scans can objectively quantify and evaluate the development and resolution of intestinal inflammation over time in a mouse model of doxorubicin-induced mucositis.</p></sec>