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A new polysaccharide contrast agent could offer radiologists a less toxic and more biocompatible alternative to gadolinium when performing MRI scans for blocked blood vessels.
In a study published on March 8 in Biomedical engineering of nature, Researchers at the Institute for Basic Science discussed their novel nanoparticle-based MRI contrast agent for 3D vascular imaging – amorphous supramolecular iron oxide (SAIO). It is part of ongoing efforts to create iron-based paramagnetic nanoparticles that can clear the kidneys and not build up in the liver or other organs.
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It is a next-generation contrast agent that simultaneously delivers high resolution and high security, said Jinwoo Cheon, Ph.D., director of the Nanomedicine Center at the Institute of Basic Sciences (IBS) at Yonsei University College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea.
“OOS is expected to play a critical role in increasing the diagnostic accuracy of cerebrovascular diseases, such as stroke, myocardial infarction, angina and dementia.” added Byoung Wook Choi, MD, professor at Yonsei University College of Medicine.
According to the researchers, SAIO, which is stable without aggregation and does not leach iron for up to a year, has several characteristics that may make it an attractive alternative to gadolinium. At 5 nanometers in size, it is about 1,500 times smaller than the microvascular diameter, allowing it to flow more easily throughout the body, they said. It is also mainly composed of dextran crosslinked with other molecules, and an iron oxide coating on its polysaccharide core gives it paramagnetic properties at room temperature.
For their study, the team compared contrast performance, retention, and renal clearance profile for OASO to Dotarem, a gadolinium-based contrast agent, as well as iron oxide nanoparticles. Based on their analysis, they found that SAIO offers very high resolution imaging – its images are 10 times more precise than those produced with current imaging agents. In animal experiments, it provides 3D brain vascular mapping that can clearly locate micro-vessels in the brain as thin as a hair – 100 microns. The improvement also lasts much longer with SAIO than with Dotarem – over 10 minutes versus less than 2 minutes, respectively, Choi said.
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With these capabilities, Cheon and Choi said, SAIO can not only give radiologists enough time to perform imaging procedures, but it can also allow providers and researchers to see heart blood vessels that are currently difficult to see. with current MRI contrast agents.
From the patient’s point of view, they said, SAIO is an attractive alternative because it easily clears the kidneys without building up in the liver from the spleen.
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