Line narrowing of I = 12 spins coupled to quadrupolar nuclei in liquids: effects of weak decoupling fields

Resolution enhancement using a new multiple-pulse decoupling sequence for quadrupolar nuclei

A new decoupling composite pulse sequence is proposed to remove the broadening on spin S=1/2 magic-angle spinning (MAS) spectra arising from the scalar coupling with a quadrupolar nucleus I. It is illustrated on the (31)P spectrum of an aluminophosphate, AlPO(4)-14, which is broadened by the presence of (27)Al/(31)P scalar couplings. The multiple-pulse (MP) sequence has the advantage over the continuous wave (CW) irradiation to efficiently annul the scalar dephasing without reintroducing the dipolar interaction. The MP decoupling sequence is first described in a rotor-synchronised version (RS-MP) where one parameter only needs to be adjusted. It clearly avoids the dipolar recoupling in order to achieve a better resolution than using the CW sequence. In a second improved version, the MP sequence is experimentally studied in the vicinity of the perfect rotor-synchronised conditions. The linewidth at half maximum (FWHM) of 65 Hz using (27)Al CW decoupling decreases to 48 Hz with RS-MP decoupling and to 30 Hz with rotor-asynchronised MP (RA-MP) decoupling. The main phenomena are explained using both experimental results and numerical simulations.

Biomedical applications of 10B and 11B NMR

This review focuses mainly on the detection and investigation of molecules used for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) by 10B and 11B NMR. In this binary radiation treatment, boron-containing molecules (also called 'BNCT agents') enriched in the 10B isotope, are targeted to the tumor, and irradiated with thermal or epithermal neutrons. Capture of these neutrons by 10B nuclei generates cell-damaging radiation, confined to single cell dimensions. NMR research efforts have primarily been applied in two directions: first, to investigate the metabolism and pharmaco-kinetics of BNCT agents in-vivo, and second, to use localized NMR spectroscopy and/or MRI for non-invasive mapping of the administered molecules in treated animals or patients. While the first goal can be pursued using 11B NMR for natural-abundance samples (80% 11B / 20% 10B), molecules used in the actual treatment are > 95% enriched in 10B, and must therefore be detected by 10B NMR. Both 10B (spin 3) and 11B (spin 3/2) are quadrupolar nuclei, and their typical relaxation times, in common BNCT agents in biological environments, are rather short. This poses some technical challenges, particularly for MRI, which will be reviewed, along with possible solutions. The first attempts at 11B NMR and MRI detection of BNCT agents in biological tissue were conducted over a decade ago. Since then, results from 11B MRI in laboratory animals and in humans have been reported, and 11B NMR spectroscopy provided interesting and unique information about the metabolism of some BNCT agents in cultured cells. 10B NMR was applied either 'indirectly' (in double-resonance experiments involving coupled protons), but also by direct 10B MRI in mice. However, no results involving the NMR detection of 10B-enriched compounds in treated patients have been reported yet.

Optimal detection of the neutron capture therapy agent borocaptate sodium (BSH): a comparison between 1H and 10B NMR

Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT), an experimental binary cancer treatment modality, requires selective targeting of 10B containing compounds to tumors. One of the compounds under evaluation in an EORTC phase I trial, and used in Japan for patient treatments for many years, is borocaptate sodium (BSH, also known as sulfhydril boron hydride). To optimize the clinical applications, a noninvasive method is needed to monitor the distribution of the boron compound, and NMR may offer such a possibility. A comparison between the relative sensitivities for detecting BSH by 10B or 1H NMR was conducted at two magnetic field strengths: 2 and 4.7 T. At each field strength, similar-sized radio frequency (rf) coils were used for both nuclei. Theoretical predictions for the intrinsic signal to noise (S/N) advantage of 1H over 10B detection vary between a factor of 5.4 and a factor of 28.9, depending on whether the effective resistance is dominated by coil losses or sample losses. Our tests, conducted on relatively small aqueous samples, which loaded the coils less than expected for animal or human subjects, resulted nevertheless in advantage factors close to the lower limit of this range. The measured S/N detection advantage factors for 1H were about 5.2 at 4.7 T, using a dedicated 1H coil, and 7.7 at 2 T, where the measurements were conducted with a double-tuned coil. However, when predicting the expected performance for in vivo MRS or MRI, one should bear in mind that proton detection has to be conducted by spectral-editing pulse sequences with an inherent S/N loss by at least a factor of 2, and that the T1 relaxation time for 10B in BSH is about 30 times shorter than the 1HT1 value. In view of these considerations, direct 10B detection could well be the preferred strategy for MRI/MRS of BSH in vivo.