The Use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Non-Invasive Assessment of Venofer® Biodistribution in Rats

Purpose The aim of this study was to determine the potential of magnetic resonance imaging to evaluate the biodistribution of exogenous iron within 24 h after one single injection of Venofer® (iron sucrose). Methods Venofer® was evaluated in vitro for its ability to generate contrast in MR images. Subsequently, iron disposition was assessed in rats with MRI, in vivo up to 3 h and post mortem at 24 h after injection of Venofer®, at doses of 10- and 40 mg/kg body weight ( n = 2 × 4), or saline ( n = 4). Results Within 10–20 min after injection of Venofer®, transverse relaxation rates (R 2 ) clearly increased, representative of a local increase in iron concentration, in liver, spleen and kidney, including the kidney medulla and cortex. In liver and spleen R 2 values remained elevated up to 3 h post injection, while the initial R 2 increase in the kidney was followed by gradual decrease towards baseline levels. Bone marrow and muscle tissue did not show significant increases in R 2 values. Whole-body post mortem MRI showed most prominent iron accumulation in the liver and spleen at 24 h post injection, which corroborated the in vivo results. Conclusions MR imaging is a powerful imaging modality for non-invasive assessment of iron distribution in organs. It is recommended to use this whole-body imaging approach complementary to other techniques that allow quantification of iron disposition at a (sub)cellular level.