Ascorbate or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof is described for use in carrying out a method, or for the preparation of a medicament for carrying out a method, of enhancing a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) image of a body or body region such as an organ or organ region in a subject. The method is carried out by parenterally administering ascorbate or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof to the subject in an MRI image-enhancing amount; and then generating, by MRI of the subject, an image of the body or body region. The ascorbate or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof enhances the MRI image.