Gadolinium(III) chloride hexahydrate is a contrast agent in magnetic resonance imaging and can be used in medicine, magnetic resonance imaging, liquid crystal displays and other fields. Gadolinium(III) chloride hexahydrate can be used to synthesize complexes and nanomaterials.

Gadolinium(III) chloride hexahydrate is a CASR agonist, which has proven to promote myocardial apoptosis, thereby increasing ERK1/2 phosphate and activating Caspase-3. 30 μm Gadolinium(III) chloride hexahydrate treats H9C2 cells for 15 minutes, resulting in increasing BAX expression in CSA-induced cells and activation of Caspase-3, and reducing BCL-2 expression. [1]