Magnetization Transfer Contrast Imaging in Niemann Pick Type C Mouse Liver

Purpose: To investigate livers of mice afflicted with Niemann Pick type C (NP-C) disease using magnetization transfer contrast (MTC) imaging and to test the hypothesis that the MT ratio reproducibly changes during disease progression.

Background: NP-C is a heritable defect of lipid metabolism that results in the accumulation of unesterified cholesterol and gangliosides in virtually all cells. Symptoms predominate in brain and liver, which have high endogenous rates of lipid turnover. It is fatal to children, usually early in the second decade of life. Previous work has shown that the efficiency of magnetization transfer (MT) can be affected by cholesterol and collagen in tissues. The MT ratio (MTR) was calculated and compared during growth and therapy of diseased and control mice.

Results: Significant differences in the MTR were observed between livers of diseased and control mice. These ratios were consistent with collagen deposition associated with fibrosis, and not the accumulation of unesterified cholesterol in this organ.

Conclusion: These results indicate that MTC imaging may have clinical potential for monitoring progression and therapy in NP-C disease.