PET with 18F-FDG-labeled T lymphocytes for diagnosis of acute rat renal allograft rejection.

We proposed small-animal PET with F-18-FDG-labeled T lymphocytes as a new method for image-based diagnosis of acute allogeneic renal transplant rejection (AR) established in a rat model. Methods: One and 2 h after tail vein injection of 30 x 10(6) ex vivo F-18-FDG-labeled human T cells into male 10-wk-old uninephrectomized, allogeneically transplanted rats (aTX; Lewis-brown Norway [LBN] to Lewis), whole-body radioactivity distribution was assessed in vivo by small-animal PET (postoperative day 4), and percentage injected dose (%ID) as a parameter of T-cell infiltration was assessed and compared between graft and native kidney. In vivo results were confirmed by autoradiography and staining of human CD3 after postmortem dissection. Syngeneically transplanted rats (sTX) (LBN to LBN), rats with ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) (45-min warm ischemia), and rats subjected to acute cyclosporine A (CSA) toxicity (50 mg/kg for 2 d intraperitoneally) served as controls. Results: The accumulation of labeled cells was significantly elevated in allografts with AR (1.07 +/- 0.28 %ID), compared with native control kidneys (0.49 +/- 0.18 %ID) (P < 0.0001). No differences were found among native controls, sTX, CSA toxicity, and kidneys with IRI. In vivo uptake of F-18-FDG cells measured in the PET scanner correlated with results obtained by autoradiography, histologic evaluation, and polymerase chain reaction. Conclusion: We proposed graft PET imaging using F-18-FDG-labeled T cells as a new option to detect rat renal AR with a low dose of F-18-FDG in a noninvasive, fast, and specific manner in rats.