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Updated: Feb 20, 2026
A High-throughput Method for Measurement of Glomerular Filtration Rate in Conscious Mice
Published on: May 10, 2013
Measurement of Murine Single-Kidney Glomerular Filtration Rate Using Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI
Kai Jiang1, Hui Tang1, Prasanna K Mishra2
1Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
Purpose:
To develop and validate a method for measuring murine single-kidney glomerular filtration rate (GFR) using dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI).
Methods:
This prospective study was approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. A fast longitudinal relaxation time (T1 ) measurement method was implemented to capture gadolinium dynamics (1 s/scan), and a modified two-compartment model was developed to quantify GFR as well as renal perfusion using 16.4T MRI in mice 2 weeks after unilateral renal artery stenosis (RAS, n = 6) or sham (n = 8) surgeries. This approach was validated by comparing model-derived GFR and perfusion to those obtained by fluorescein isothiocyanante (FITC)-inulin clearance and arterial spin labeling (ASL), respectively, using the Pearson's and Spearman's rank correlations and Bland-Altman analysis.
Results:
The compartmental model provided a good fitting to measured gadolinium dynamics in both normal and RAS kidneys. The proposed DCE-MRI method offered assessment of single-kidney GFR and perfusion, comparable to the FITC-inulin clearance (Pearson's correlation coefficient r = 0.95 and Spearman's correlation coefficient ρ = 0.94, P < 0.0001, and mean difference -7.0 ± 11.0 μL/min) and ASL (r = 0.92 and ρ = 0.84, P < 0.0001, and mean difference 4.4 ± 66.1 mL/100 g/min) methods.
Conclusion:
The proposed DCE-MRI method may be useful for reliable noninvasive measurements of single-kidney GFR and perfusion in mice. Magn Reson Med 79:2935-2943, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
Insights
This study developed a dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) method for accurately measuring single-kidney glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and perfusion in mice. The noninvasive DCE-MRI technique showed high agreement with established methods, offering a reliable tool for kidney function assessment.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Imaging
- Renal Physiology
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Background:
- Accurate assessment of single-kidney glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and renal perfusion is crucial for understanding kidney function and disease.
- Current methods for measuring GFR, such as fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-inulin clearance, are invasive and time-consuming.
- Noninvasive imaging techniques are needed for efficient and reliable evaluation of kidney function in preclinical research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a novel dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) method for quantifying single-kidney GFR in mice.
- To assess the feasibility of using DCE-MRI to simultaneously measure renal perfusion.
- To compare the accuracy of the developed DCE-MRI method against established techniques like FITC-inulin clearance and arterial spin labeling (ASL).
Main Methods:
- A fast longitudinal relaxation time (T1) measurement technique was employed for rapid capture of gadolinium dynamics.
- A modified two-compartment model was utilized to quantify GFR and renal perfusion from DCE-MRI data.
- The method was applied to mice subjected to unilateral renal artery stenosis (RAS) or sham surgery, with validation against FITC-inulin clearance and ASL.
Main Results:
- The compartmental model demonstrated excellent fitting to gadolinium dynamics in both normal and RAS-affected kidneys.
- The DCE-MRI method provided single-kidney GFR measurements that were highly comparable to FITC-inulin clearance (r=0.95, ρ=0.94).
- Renal perfusion measurements derived from DCE-MRI showed good agreement with ASL (r=0.92, ρ=0.84).
Conclusions:
- The proposed DCE-MRI method offers a reliable and noninvasive approach for assessing single-kidney GFR in mice.
- This technique also enables simultaneous quantification of renal perfusion, providing comprehensive insights into kidney function.
- DCE-MRI represents a valuable tool for preclinical research on kidney diseases and therapeutic interventions.
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