Using micro-synchrotron radiation x-ray fluorescence (µ-SRXRF) for trace metal imaging in the development of MRI contrast agents for prostate cancer imaging

BACKGROUND: Contrast agents (CA) are administered in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) clinical exams to measure tissue perfusion, enhance image contrast between adjacent tissues, or provide additional biochemical information in molecular MRI. The efficacy of a CA is determined by the tissue distribution of the agent and its concentration in the extracellular space of all tissues. METHODS: In this work, micro-synchrotron radiation x-ray fluorescence (µ-SRXRF) was used to examine and characterize a gadolinium-based zinc-sensitive agent (GdL₂) currently under development for detection of prostate cancer (PCa) by MRI. Prostate tissue samples were collected from control mice and mice with known PCa after an MRI exam that included injection of GdL₂. The samples were raster scanned to investigate trends in Zn, Gd, Cu, Fe, S, P, and Ca. RESULTS: Significant Zn and Gd co-localization was observed in both healthy and malignant tissues. In addition, a marked decrease in Zn was found in the lateral lobe of the prostate obtained from mice with PCa. CONCLUSION: We demonstrate here that µ-SRXRF is a useful tool for monitoring the distribution of several elements including Zn and Gd in animal models of cancer. The optimized procedures for tissue preparation, processing, data collection, and analysis are described.