title: Renal tubular damage detected by dynamic micro-MRI with a dendrimer-based magnetic resonance contrast agent.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Imagiology, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan. kobayash@mail. nih.gov
authors.forename: Hisataka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Satomi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kawamoto
authors.forename: Sang-Kyung
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Jo
authors.forename: Noriko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Tsuneo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saga
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hiraga
authors.forename: Junji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Konishi
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Kaori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Togashi
authors.forename: Martin W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Brechbiel
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Star
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D003287:Contrast Media; D002945:Cisplatin