Radiology, Vol 186, 139-146, Copyright © 1993 by Radiological Society of North America
Acute liver rejection: evaluation with cell-directed MR contrast agents in a rat transplantation model
A Muhler, CE Freise, R Kuwatsuru, W Rosenau, T Liu, J Mintorovitch, O Clement, V Vexler, S Mahboubi and P Lang
Department of Radiology, University of California, San Francisco 94143- 0628.
Enhancement patterns with gadolinium (4s)-4-(4-ethoxybenzyl)-3,6,9-tris
(carboxylatomethyl)-3,6,9-triazaundecandioic acid (EOB)
diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA), a hepatocyte-directed magnetic
resonance (MR) contrast agent, and superparamagnetic iron oxide particles
(SPIO), a Kupffer cell-directed contrast agent, were compared at MR imaging
in rat models of allogeneic and syngeneic liver transplantation. Light and
electron microscopy were performed to monitor the morphologic changes in
these livers and revealed typical findings in acute rejecting liver
(allogeneic transplants) and normal architecture in syngeneic transplants.
Liver enhancement with Gd-EOB- DTPA at MR imaging was delayed and prolonged
with transplantation, and even more with rejection, but the level of
enhancement when compared with that of control rats remained unaffected.
Uptake of SPIO was decreased in the acutely rejecting livers but was normal
in the syngeneic transplantation model. Enhanced MR imaging with
cell-directed contrast agents depicted decreased phagocytotic activity in
acute transplant rejection and enabled the excretory function of
hepatocytes to be monitored. Additionally, Gd-EOB-DTPA may be applied
advantageously for detection of focal lesions in transplanted livers.
