Noninvasive evaluation of antiangiogenic effect in a mouse tumor model by DCE-MRI with Gd-DTPA cystamine copolymers.

The efficacy of polydisulfide-based biodegradable macromolecular Gd(III) complexes, Gd-DTPA cystamine copolymers (GDCC), for assessing tumor microvascular characteristics and monitoring antiangiogenesis therapy was investigated in a mouse model using dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI). The mice bearing human colon tumor xenografts were intraperitoneally injected with an antiangiogenesis agent Avastin three times in a week at a dose of 200 mug/mouse. DCE-MRI with GDCC of 40 kDa (GDCC-40) was performed before and at 36 h after the first treatment with Avastin and at the end of treatment (7 days). Gd(DTPA-BMA) was used as a low molecular weight control. The tumor vascular parameters, endothelial transfer coefficient K(trans) and factional plasma volume f(PV), were calculated from the DCE-MRI data with a two-compartment model. The K(trans) and f(PV) in tumor periphery estimated by DCE-MRI with GDCC-40 before and after the antiangiogenesis treatment correlated well to tumor growth before and after the treatment in the tumor model. In contrast, the parameters estimated by Gd(DTPA-BMA) did not show significant correlation to the therapeutic efficacy. This study demonstrates that DCE-MRI with the biodegradable macromolecular MRI contrast agent can provide effective assessment of the antiangiogenic efficacy of Avastin in the animal tumor model based on measured vascular parameters in tumor periphery.