Renal tubular damage detected by dynamic micro-MRI with a dendrimer-based magnetic resonance contrast agent.
BACKGROUND
A noninvasive technique to evaluate the structure and function of the kidney would be useful to investigate renal diseases, especially acute renal failure. We have developed a novel technique to visualize functional micro-magnetic resonance (MR) images of the mouse kidney with a dendrimer-based macromolecular renal MR contrast agent.


METHODS
Mice were injected with cisplatin or vehicle, then examined three days later by contrast-enhanced, dynamic high-resolution micro-MRI with 160 microm spatial resolution using a 1.5 T clinical MRI unit, a surface coil, and the renal contrast agent G4D-(1B4M-Gd)64.


RESULTS
The cortex and outer stripe of the outer medulla of the mouse kidney were clearly visualized in the normal mice. In animals treated with cisplatin, the gradation of tubular damage as assessed by contrast enhanced dynamic MRI correlated with renal function.


CONCLUSIONS
Contrast-enhanced, dynamic high-resolution micro-MRI with a novel dendrimer-based macromolecular renal MR contrast agent can be a powerful tool for in vivo observation of renal structural and functional damage.
Kobayashi
Hisataka
H
Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Imagiology, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan. kobayash@mail. nih.gov
Kawamoto
Satomi
S
Jo
Sang-Kyung
SK
Sato
Noriko
N
Saga
Tsuneo
T
Hiraga
Akira
A
Konishi
Junji
J
Hu
Susan
S
Togashi
Kaori
K
Brechbiel
Martin W
MW
Star
Robert A
RA
D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D002945:Cisplatin; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D007668:Kidney / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis; D007684:Kidney Tubules / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D012016:Reference Values
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D003287:Contrast Media; D002945:Cisplatin