Non-Invasive Imaging Technologies in Drug Safety Evaluation: Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Rats to Assess Theophyline-Induced Testes Toxicity

Non-invasive imaging technologies such as magnetic resonance imaging are commonly used in clinical practice. in an experimental setting, it is possible to decrease field of view and pixel size, thereby increase image resolution. We tested this magnetic resonance microscopy (MRM) technique in a theopln lline-induced rat model of reproductive toxicity. The goal of this work was to study the sensitivity of MRM to detect or predict changes in tissue proton (i.e. water) characteristics, and confirm those findings with histology.Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed either a control or theophylline (1.3-dimethylxanthine. 8000 ppm) diet. Experimental groups of days 8. 16. 24. and 32 animals were imaged with MRM (Figure 1) and tissue morphology confirmed with histology (Figure 2).Tl-weighted images (with and without gadolinium-DTPA contrast. Magnevist®) and T2-weighted images were acquired at 2 T (spin-echo multislice images. 100 μm2pixel. 300 μm slice thickness).