Non-clinical assessment of safety and gadolinium deposition after cumulative administration of gadobenate dimeglumine (MultiHance®) to neonatal and juvenile rats

Abstract

To determine the impact of single and cumulative doses of MultiHance on toxicity, pharmacokinetics, tissue gadolinium presence, behavior and neurological function in juvenile rats. Juvenile male and female rats received either physiological saline or MultiHance at 0.6, 1.25 or 2.5 mmol/kg bodyweight. Animals received either single or six consecutive MultiHance administrations and were sacrificed the day after the last administration or after a 60-day treatment-free period. Animals were assessed for behavior, cognitive function, grip strength, gait, pupillary reflex, and auditory reflex, as well as for physical development, sexual maturation and histopathology. Gadolinium presence in brain, femur, kidneys, liver and skin was determined using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). No effects of MultiHance on behavior, cognitive function or any other parameter were noted, even for the highest administered cumulative dose (15 mmol/kg). Gadolinium presence was variable across tissues and decreased during the 60-day treatment-free period. The highest levels were noted in the femur and the lowest levels in the brain. Gadolinium presence in juvenile rat brain following single or repeated MultiHance administrations was minimal and non-impactful.

Keywords: Behavioral test; Gadobenate dimeglumine; Gadolinium; Juvenile rat; Magnetic resonance contrast agents.