Assessment of inflammation with a very small iron-oxide particle in a murine model of reperfused myocardial infarction.

Purpose: To investigate a very small iron-oxide particle (VSOP) in a mouse model of acute ischemia-reperfusion to access the mechanism of such particles in areas of myocardial inflammation.

Materials And Methods: Animals were injected with VSOP at several time points, in a mouse model of acute myocardial infarction (MI), before and after MI. MRI was used to localize areas of VSOP enhancement, evaluate VSOP areas extension, and determine the related T2* values.