Early Monitoring of Cardiac Oxidative Stress in Type 2 Diabetic Mice Using a Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Immunospin Trapping Strategy

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a common and serious complication in patients with diabetes, and early detection and monitoring are essential to improving clinical outcomes. This study introduces a noninvasive method to visualize cardiac macromolecule-free radicals, enabling the detection of oxidative stress damage in the early stages of DCM. The approach utilizes DEPMPO-biotin to capture free radicals, while avidin-BGEC serves as molecular probes to target and visualize these adducts using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Following intraperitoneal injection, avidin-BGEC selectively accumulated in the hearts of diabetic mice, resulting in increased <i>T</i>1 signal intensity (28.6% in diabetic mice vs 4.38% in controls) and decreased <i>T</i>1 relaxation time (727 ms in diabetic mice vs 30.8 ms in controls). This strategy also detected elevated oxidative stress levels in 4 week old Lepr^db/db diabetic mice, which showed a 16.8% increase compared to a 3.10% increase in the controls (<i>P</i> < 0.5). Histochemical staining confirmed the high enrichment of avidin-BGEC within cardiomyocytes, colocalized with free radicals. This molecule capture and imaging system represents a promising paradigm for the early detection of DCM, which could enhance clinical practices regarding timely diagnosis and monitoring.