Biomedical Applications of In Vivo Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Imaging
在体电子自旋共振(EPR)波谱和成像技术在生物医学中的应用

Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) has been a double-edged sword in the pathogenesis of a number of human diseases. It can be an oxidant and cause oxidative stress leading to progression of tissue injury. It can also be a secondary messenger triggering protective responses so as to enable the conditioned tissue to endure further injurious insults. Due to its important role in biology, a reliable technique to measure the generation and distribution is needed. In vivo electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and imaging technique has emerged as an important tool for characterizing and mapping of free radicals in biological systems. The EPR spectral characteristics including line-width, intensity, and lifetime, as well as spatial distribution of the radicals can provide vital information to enable the measurement of localized tissue redox status and oxygenation in disease models and even humans. In this brief review, a number of in vivo applications of EPR spectroscopy and imaging are discussed, including redox and oximetry spectroscopy, spatial and spectral-spatial imaging of organs and tissues.