Revisiting the Pharmacokinetic Profiles of Gadolinium-Based Contrast Agents

Using a nonconventional pharmacokinetic approach, we showed that gadoterate meglumine undergoes a much faster residual excretion from the body than the linear GBCAs, a process that seems related to the thermodynamic stability of the different chelates. Gadolinium dissociation occurs in vivo for some linear chelates, a mechanism that may explain their long-term retention and slow release from bone. Potential consequences in terms of bone toxicity warrant further investigations.