Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging confirmation of an anterior protein pathway in normal rabbit eyes.
OBJECTIVE
Contrast-enhanced proton magnetic resonance imaging (1H MRI) has been used as a quantitative, noninvasive method to corroborate a pathway for the diffusion of plasma-derived protein into the aqueous humor in the normal rabbit eye.


METHODS
T1-weighted magnetic resonance images were produced over 1- to 3-hour periods after the intravenous injection of gadolinium diethylenetriamine-pentaacetic acid.


RESULTS
Analysis of the images yielded the time dependence of signal enhancements within the areas of interest. The ciliary body showed an immediate sharp increase, followed by a gradual decrease in signal enhancement with time. Although a gradual increase in signal enhancement was found in the anterior chamber, no significant change occurred in the posterior chamber. A similar MRI experiment with an owl monkey produced parallel, though smaller, signal enhancements in the ciliary body and anterior chamber. Again, however, no significant change was found in the posterior chamber.


CONCLUSIONS
These results support and extend those of recent fluorophotometric, tracer-localization, and modeling studies demonstrating that in the normal rabbit and monkey eye, plasma-derived proteins bypass the posterior chamber, entering the anterior chamber directly via the iris root.
Kolodny
N H
NH
Department of Chemistry, Wellesley College, MA 02181, USA.
Freddo
T F
TF
Lawrence
B A
BA
Suarez
C
C
Bartels
S P
SP
D000818:Animals; D000867:Anterior Chamber / Q000378:metabolism*; D016645:Aotidae; D001082:Aqueous Humor / Q000378:metabolism*; D001692:Biological Transport; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002196:Capillaries / Q000378:metabolism; D002924:Ciliary Body / Q000098:blood supply; D003287:Contrast Media; D005136:Eye Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005682:Gadolinium / Q000008:administration & dosage; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D007498:Iris / Q000378:metabolism; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009942:Organometallic Compounds / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004369:Pentetic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D011817:Rabbits
D001798:Blood Proteins; D003287:Contrast Media; D005136:Eye Proteins; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D004369:Pentetic Acid; D005682:Gadolinium; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA