Comparative bio-effect of gadolinium with alternative contrast medium of magnesium chloride and zinc oxide nanoparticles on single-strand DNA following exposure to magnetic resonance imaging

Abstract

Background: Gadolinium (Gd) is a widely used MRI contrast agent that improvesvisibility and aids in accurate diagnosis. However, conflicting reports exist regarding itsgenotoxic effects. This study investigates the bio-effects of Gd and alternative contrastmedia, magnesium chloride (MgCl2), and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) on DNAsingle-strand breaks. Materials and Methods: In this in-vitro comparative experiment,12 adult New Zealand rabbits (males aged between 4.5 to 5.5 months, weighing 2.5 to3.0 kg) were utilized. The rabbits received intravenous injections of different contrastagents, namely Gd (n=3), MgCl2 (n=3), ZnO NPs (n=3), and a control group (n=3).Following this, all the rabbits were subjected to MRI at 1.5 Tesla (T) with an RF of 64MHz for 20 minutes. The alkaline comet assay assessed the presence of single-strandbreaks (SSB). Results: The results of the study revealed a statistically significantincrease in DNA SSB in both the Gd (p<0.010) and ZnO NPs (p=0.006) treated groupscompared to the normal control group. However, the alternative MgCl2 treatment didnot elicit a statistically significant effect on the DNA single-strand compared to thecontrol group (p=0.277). Conclusion: The contrast medium Gd and alternative ZnO NPswere demonstrated to cause significant DNA single-strand breaks, with the Gd causingmore damage than ZnO NPs. However, the alternative contrast MgCl2 was safer withno effect on DNA single-strand. This suggests that MgCl2 is more suitable as analternative contrast media in MRI scanning