Toxicity mechanisms of gadolinium uncovered
Rebecca Abergel, Ph.D. and coworkers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have determined the ways in which gadolinium disrupts the normal function of cells
Gadolinium, a lanthanide element used extensively in MRI contrast agents, is inherently toxic. This work identifies some of the key cellular pathways that gadolinium can interfere with, and provides some insight into the underlying causes of certain symptoms associated with exposure to gadolinium. Notably, the metal seemed to disrupt enzyme function and metal chaperone proteins involved in cellular metabolism. The full peer-reviewed paper was published today in the journal Molecular Omics.