Chondroitin sulfate iron colloid as an MR contrast agent for the hepatic reticuloendothelial system.
OBJECTIVE
Chondroitin sulfate iron colloid (CSI), a therapeutic agent for asiderotic anemia, is widely used in the clinical field, and its safety has been established in Japan. We studied the potential of this agent for MRI of the hepatic reticuloendothelial system. Chondroitin sulfate iron colloid has a paramagnetic trivalent iron ion and is effective in shortening T2 relaxation time because it is taken up rapidly in the hepatic reticuloendothelial system after intravenous injection.


METHODS
Hepatic MR images were obtained before and 1 h after the intravenous injection of 26.9 mumol Fe/kg of CSI in rats with experimentally induced tumors and of 18-30 mumol Fe/kg in human subjects.


RESULTS
The signal intensities of normal hepatic tissue were decreased in all cases, whereas those of tumors were unchanged after CSI injection in these two series. Consequently, good contrast was observed in each pulse sequence.


CONCLUSIONS
Therefore, CSI seems to be clinically useful as a contrast agent for hepatic MRI.
Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Japan.
T
T
Kato
Y
Y
Suto
T
T
Matsuo
D000818:Animals; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000175:diagnosis; D002809:Chondroitin Sulfates; D003102:Colloids; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D008114:Liver Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012157:Mononuclear Phagocyte System / Q000473:pathology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D003102:Colloids; D003287:Contrast Media; D002809:Chondroitin Sulfates; D007501:Iron