Abstract

In type 1 diabetes (T1D) immune-cell infiltration into the islets of Langerhans (insulitis) and {beta}-cell decline occurs many years before diabetes presents. Non-invasively detecting insulitis and {beta}-cell decline would allow diagnosis of eventual diabetes and provide a means to monitor the efficacy of therapeutic intervention. However, there is a lack of validated clinical approaches for non-invasively imaging disease progression leading to T1D. Islets have a dense microvasculature that reorganizes during diabetes. We previously demonstrated contrast-enhanced ultrasound measurements of pancreatic blood-flow dynamics could predict disease progression in T1D pre-clinical models. Here we test whether these measurements can predict successful therapeutic prevention of T1D. We performed destruction-reperfusion measurements using a small-animal ultrasound machine and size-isolated microbubbles, in NOD-scid mice receiving an adoptive transfer of diabetogenic splenocytes (AT mice). Mice received vehicle control or either of the following treatments: 1) antiCD4 to deplete CD4+ T cells; 2) antiCD3 to block T cell activation, 3) Verapamil to reduce {beta}-cell apoptosis and 4) TUDCA to reduce ER stress. We compared measurements of pancreas blood-flow dynamics with subsequent progression to diabetes. In AT mice blood-flow dynamics were altered >2 weeks after splenocyte transfer. AntiCD4, antiCD3 and verapamil provided a significant delay in diabetes development. Treated AT mice with delayed or absent diabetes development showed significantly altered blood flow dynamics compared to untreated AT mice. Conversely, treated AT mice that developed diabetes, despite therapy, showed similar blood-flow dynamics to untreated AT mice. Thus, contrast-enhanced ultrasound measurement of pancreas blood-flow dynamics can predict the successful or unsuccessful delay or prevention of diabetes upon therapeutic treatments that target both immune activity or {beta}-cell protection. This strategy may provide a clinically deployable predictive marker for disease progression and therapeutic reversal in asymptomatic T1D.