Evaluation of impairment of type H vessels in alloxan-induced diabetic rabbits using USPIO contrast-enhanced MRI

Motivation: Early detection and evaluation of microvascular changes to improve the prognosis of diabetic bone disease. Goal(s): Propose a quantitative visualization method for assessing the impairment of type H vessels in T1DM rabbits. Approach: Comparison of findings using USPIO-enhanced MRI and Micro-CT were carried out using hypoxia-injury fluorescence imaging as standard. Results: Both imaging techniques showed the holistic abnormality of the vascular system in the bone, especially type H vessels in T1DM, and different impairment between metaphyseal and diaphyseal regions with hypoxia-injury fluorescence of HIF-α and quantification of type H vessels by immunofluorescence, RT-PCR and flow cytometry. Impact: USPIO-enhanced MRI could serve a safe and convenient to long-term track and observe the impairment of type H vessels in in vivo T1DM rabbit under the treatment to diabetic osteopathy through regulation of microangiogenesis.