Ultrastructural Changes in Rat Aortic Endothelium During Contrast Media Infusion

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Abstract
A rat model was employed to investigate contrast media (CM) induced ultrastructural changes in the vascular endothelium. Ionic contrast materials such as Renografin-76 (diatrizoate meglumine diatrizoate sodium) MD-76 (diatrizoate meglumine diatrizoate sodium) and Angiovist (meglumine diatrizoate) were injected into the femoral vin of anesthetized male Wistar rats (240-260 g) and allowed to circulate. Control animals were similarly injected with equisomolar sucrose and physiologic saline. The thorax was opened 15 min 1 h and 4 h postinjection and cardiac perfusion performed using Karnovsky''s fixative; the thoracic aorta was then surgically removed, and processed for transmission electron microscopy. All CM produced shrinkage in cell cytoplasm and nuclear structures thereby causing distortions in cell morphology. in control tissues, however, no such ultrastructural damages were noted. Within 15 min of CM infusion, electron dense granules were seen on the luminal surface of endothelial cells, the pinocytotic vesicle, as well as the gap junctions between cells. Contrast media intake evidently occurs via vesicular transport, and through the cell junction.