Neurotoxicity of gadolinium contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging in rats with osmotically disrupted blood-brain barrier

✍ Scribed by Masaya Takahashi; Hirokazu Tsutsui; Chie Murayama; Tomoaki Miyazawa; Bernhard Fritz-Zieroth

• Book ID: 103910547
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 753 KB
• Volume: 14
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0730-725X
• DOI: 10.1016/0730-725x(96)00118-x

✦ Synopsis

The neurotoxicity of intravenously injected Gadolinium (Gd) complexes to rats with disrupted blood-brain barrier (BBB) was evaluated. After disruption of the BBB by infusion of mannitol solution, one of several contrast agents tested was injected intravenously at a dose of 1 or 3 mmol Gd/kg, and neurological symptoms were graded. The concentrations of Gd in brain and plasma were also measured. Injection of Gd-DTPA at a dose of 3 mmol Gd/kg did not change behavior. On the other hand, Gd-DTPA-BMA, Gd-DO3A-butrol, and Gd-DO3A-HP each induced behavioral impairments, and some animals died within 1 h after injection. Gd-DO3A-HP showed lethal effect even at a dose of 1 mmol/kg. The concentration of Gd in the brain of the animals injected with Gd-DO3A-HP at 3 mmol Gd/kg was essentially the same as that of animals injected with Gd-DTPA at the same dose. The neurotoxicity of the contrast agents tested was graded as follows: Gd-DTPA < or = Gd-DTPA-BMA = Gd-DO3A-butrol < Gd-DO3A-HP.