Comparative cytotoxicity of low-osmolar nonionic and high-osmolar ionic contrast media to dog gallbladder epithelial cells.
BACKGROUND
Most studies of the adverse effects of x-ray contrast media used in ERCP have focused on post-ERCP pancreatitis. However, the biliary epithelial cells are also exposed to contrast media during ERCP and acute cholangitis is also a serious complication of ERCP. The present study compared the cytotoxicity with gallbladder epithelial cells of ionic and nonionic contrast agents.


METHODS
A high-osmolar ionic contrast agent (meglumine ioxithalamate) and a low-osmolar nonionic contrast agent (iopromide) were tested. Monolayer cell cultures of dog gallbladder epithelial cells were used. The cells were exposed to the 2 contrast agents with increasing iodine concentration and osmolality for 2 days. Cell number, S-phase fraction, aneuploidy, and supernatant LDH activities were measured each day.


RESULTS
Cell growth was more severely inhibited by ioxithalamate than iopromide (p < 0.05) and strongly dependent on the osmolality of contrast agent. The cytostatic effect estimated by S-phase fraction was more pronounced for ioxithalamate. Chromosomal damage determined by aneuploidy was more frequently detected with ioxithalamate.


CONCLUSIONS
High-osmolar ionic contrast media are more cytotoxic than low-osmolar nonionic contrast media to gallbladder epithelial cells. Animal and clinical studies are needed to estimate the clinical implications of these findings.
Ju
Young-Min
YM
Division of Gastroenterology, Asan Medical Center, 388-1 Poongnap-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul 138-736, South Korea.
Kim
Myung-Hwan
MH
Lee
Sung-Koo
SK
Seo
Dong-Wan
DW
Min
Young-Il
YI
Kim
Ji-Yeon
JY
D000782:Aneuploidy; D000818:Animals; D002452:Cell Count; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000187:drug effects; D002760:Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde / Q000009:adverse effects; D002761:Cholangitis / Q000139:chemically induced; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D004285:Dogs; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects; D005704:Gallbladder / Q000166:cytology; D007472:Iohexol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000633:toxicity*; D007482:Iothalamate Meglumine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000139:chemically induced
D003287:Contrast Media; D007472:Iohexol; C001694:meglumine ioxithalamate; C038192:iopromide; D007482:Iothalamate Meglumine