Seminars Archive

Pharmacological and clinical relevance of detecting gadolinium in biological samples: promising application of Synchrotron X-Ray Fluorescence elemental mapping

Abstract
X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy allows mapping and quantification of element distributions in biological specimens with high sensitivity, especially using Synchrotron radiation. I will report on experiments performed in ELETTRA to evaluate the applicability of XRF in pharmacological studies. The experiments allowed to confirm the hepatobiliary disposition of a gadolinium containing MRI contrast agent. I’ll also report on data obtained at ESRF (ID21) and aimed to localize and quantify gadolinium at single cell level and in histological samples. The overall results indicate that XRF elemental mapping is a promising technique that could be particularly applicable today in unravelling the unknown pathogenetic mechanisms of a recently discovered severe disease which is Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF). The rare pathology, in fact, appears in target population of severe renal impairment associated with single or multiple administrations of gadolinium containing MRI contrast agents. The diagnosis of NSF is difficult and the only specific confirmation derives from the detection of gadolinium in the histological samples. XRF techniques could significantly help NSF understanding being used both in animal model research and in clinical examinations.