Gd retention in the body
Gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) are commonly used in
clinical settings as they add physiological information to the
superb anatomical information of MR images. Millions of Contrast
Enhanced-MRI scans have been acquired in the past three decades
without reporting clinical evidence for frequent serious acute or
chronic events. Hence, GBCAs are considered to be among the
safest parenteral chemicals.
However, recently, several
studies have shown the occurrence of an increased signal
intensity in non-enhanced T1-weighted MRI of some
brain regions in patients with normal renal function who had
previously received multiple doses of GBCAs. The observed
hyperintense signal has been associated with the retention of
small amounts of gadolinium (Gd) in the brain. There has been
evidence that both linear and macrocyclic GBCAs can yield
detectable Gd traces in the brain, with linear neutral agents
leaving greater quantities. The intrinsic difficulties associated
with the availability of human biopsies prompted the development
of animal models to investigate Gd-retention in the brain. It has
been found that successive administrations of GBCA to rodents
over periods of few weeks lead to the retention of Gd in the
brain structures that mimic the pattern observed in patients.
At CIM the following research area are currently developed:
- Evaluation of the speciation of Gd-containing species after multiple administrations GBCAs through the quantification of the amount of intact Gd-complexes and insoluble Gd-containing species.
- Investigation of the role of the thermodynamic and kinetic stability of the Gd-complexes on the extent of their retention in vivo.
- Extension of the investigation of Gd retention to other body tissues besides brain in order to get a comprehensive view which can help in the understanding of Gd accumulation/excretion pathways.
- Investigation of the distribution and speciation of GBCAs in the different blood components (Red Blood Cells, Leukocytes and serum).
Group Leaders:
