Manganese‐enhanced MRI detection of impaired calcium regulation in a mouse model of cardiac hypertrophy

The aim of this study was to use manganese (Mn)‐enhanced MRI (MEMRI) to detect changes in calcium handling associated with cardiac hypertrophy in a mouse model, and to determine whether the impact of creatine kinase ablation is detectable using this method. Male C57BL/6 (C57, n = 11) and male creatine kinase double‐knockout (CK‐M/Mito^–/–, DBKO, n = 12) mice were imaged using the saturation recovery Look–Locker T₁ mapping sequence before and after the development of cardiac hypertrophy. Hypertrophy was induced via subcutaneous continuous 3‐day infusion of isoproterenol, and sham mice not subjected to cardiac hypertrophy were also imaged. During each scan, the contrast agent Mn was administered and the resulting change in R₁ (=1/T₁) was calculated. Two anatomical regions of interest (ROIs) were considered, the left‐ventricular free wall (LVFW) and the septum, and one ROI in an Mn‐containing standard placed next to the mouse. We found statistically significant (p < 0.05) decreases in the uptake of Mn in both the LVFW and septum following the induction of cardiac hypertrophy. No statistically significant decreases were detected in the standard, and no statistically significant differences were found among the sham mice. Using a murine model, we successfully demonstrated that changes in Mn uptake as a result of cardiac hypertrophy are detectable using the functional contrast agent and calcium mimetic Mn. Our measurements showed a decrease in the relaxivity (R₁) of the myocardium following cardiac hypertrophy compared with normal control mice. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.