The Influence of Collagen Network Integrity on the Accumulation of Gadolinium-Based MR Contrast Agents in Articular Cartilage

Zusammenfassung

Ziel: Die Gadolinium-verstärkte MR-Bildgebung des Gelenkknorpels wird zur Quantifizierung des Proteoglykanverlusts bei initialer Arthrose eingesetzt. Dabei wird angenommen, dass T 1 nach Gd-DTPA-Gabe im gleichgewichtsnahen Zustand selektiv mit dem Proteoglykanverlust des Knorpels korreliert. Um den Einfluss der Integrität des Kollagenfasergerüsts auf die Kontrastmittelakkumulation zu untersuchen, wurden die Relaxationsraten ΔR₁ und ΔR₂ nach Gd-DTPA-Gabe in einem gängigen Arthrosemodell verglichen. Material und Methoden: Der Abbau von Kollagen oder Proteoglykanen wurde dabei durch die proteolytischen Enzyme Kollagenase und Papain am gesunden bovinen Patellarknorpel induziert. Unter Verwendung einer speziellen MR-Sequenz wurden gleichzeitig T ₁- und T ₂-Parameterbilder vor und 11 h nach Gd-DTPA-Gabe akquiriert. Tiefenprofile von ΔR₁ und ΔR₂ im gesunden, proteoglykanreduzierten und kollagenreduzierten Gelenkknorpel wurden berechnet und Mittelwerte aus unterschiedlichen Knorpelschichten mit dem Mann-Whitney-U-Test verglichen. Ergebnisse: In oberflächlichen Schichten (1 mm) konnte weder für ΔR₁ noch für ΔR₂ ein signifikanter Unterschied (p > 0,05) zwischen proteoglykanreduziertem (16,6 ± 1,2 s^–1, 15,9 ± 1,0 s^–1) und kollagenreduziertem Gelenkknorpel (15,3 ± 0,9 s^–1, 15,5 ± 0,9 s^–1) festgestellt werden. In tiefen Schichten (3 mm) waren beide Parameter im proteoglykanreduzierten Gelenkknorpel (12.3 ± 1.1 s^–1, 9,8 ± 0,8 s^–1) signifikant höher (p = 0,005, 0,03) als im kollagenreduzierten Gelenkknorpel (9,1 ± 1,1 s^–1, 8,7 ± 0,7 s^–1). Schlussfolgerung: Sowohl ein Proteoglykanverlust als auch Veränderungen im Kollagenfasergerüst beeinflussen die Akkumulation von Gd-DTPA im Gelenkknorpel mit signifikanten Unterschieden zwischen oberflächlichen und tiefen Knorpelschichten.

Abstract

Purpose: Delayed gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging of cartilage is used to quantify the proteoglycan loss in early osteoarthritis. It is assumed that T 1 after Gd-DTPA administration in the near equilibrium state reflects selective proteoglycan loss from cartilage. To investigate the influence of the collagen network integrity on contrast accumulation, the relaxation rates ΔR₁ and ΔR₂ were compared after Gd-DTPA administration in a well established model of osteoarthritis. Materials and Methods: Collagen or proteoglycan depletion was induced by the proteolytic enzymes papain and collagenase in healthy bovine patellar cartilage. Using a dedicated MRI sequence, T ₁ and T ₂ maps were simultaneously acquired before and 11 h after Gd-DTPA administration. Depth-dependent profiles of ΔR₁ and ΔR₂ were calculated in healthy, proteoglycan and collagen-depleted articular cartilage and the mean values of different cartilage layers were compared using the Mann-Whitney-U test. Results: In superficial layers (1 mm) there was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in either ΔR₁ or ΔR₂ between proteoglycan-depleted (16.6 ± 1.2 s^–1, 15.9 ± 1.0 s^–1) and collagen-depleted articular cartilage (15.3 ± 0.9 s^–1, 15.5 ± 0.9 s^–1). In deep layers (3 mm) both parameters were significantly higher (p = 0.005, 0.03) in proteoglycan-depleted articular cartilage (12.3 ± 1.1 s^–1, 9.8 ± 0.8 s^–1) than in collagen-depleted articular cartilage (9.1 ± 1.1 s^–1, 8.7 ± 0.7 s^–1). Conclusion: Both proteoglycan loss and alterations in the collagen network influence the accumulation of Gd-DTPA in articular cartilage with significant differences between superficial and deep cartilage layers.

Key words

cartilage - MR imaging - gadolinium

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