Metal-based environment-sensitive MRI contrast agents

Contrast Agents Based on Human Serum Albumin and Nitroxides for 1H-MRI and Overhauser-Enhanced MRI

In cancer diagnostics, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses contrast agents to enhance the distinction between the target tissue and background. Several promising approaches have been developed to increase MRI sensitivity, one of which is Overhauser dynamic nuclear polarization (ODNP)-enhanced MRI (OMRI). In this study, a macromolecular construct based on human serum albumin and nitroxyl radicals (HSA-NIT) was developed using a new synthesis method that significantly increased the modification to 21 nitroxide residues per protein. This was confirmed by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI ToF) mass spectrometry. Gel electrophoresis and circular dichroism showed no significant changes in the structure of HSA-NITs, and no oligomers were formed during modification. The cytotoxicity of HSA-NITs was comparable to that of native albumin. HSA-NITs were evaluated as potential "metal-free" organic radical relaxation-based contrast agents for 1H-MRI and as hyperpolarizing contrast agents for OMRI. Relaxivities (longitudinal and transversal relaxation rates r1 and r2) for HSA-NITs were measured at different magnetic field strengths (1.88, 3, 7, and 14 T). Phantoms were used to demonstrate the potential use of HSA-NIT as a T1- and T2-weighted relaxation-based contrast agent at 3 T and 14 T. The efficacy of 1H Overhauser dynamic nuclear polarization (ODNP) in liquids at an ultralow magnetic field (ULF, B0 = 92 ± 0.8 μT) was investigated for HSA-NIT conjugates. The HSA-NITs themselves did not show ODNP enhancement; however, under the proteolysis conditions simulating cancer tissue, HSA-NIT conjugates were cleaved into lower-molecular-weight (MW) protein fragments that activate ODNP capabilities, resulting in a maximum achievable enhancement |Emax| of 40-50 and a radiofrequency power required to achieve half of Emax, P1/2, of 21-27 W. The HSA-NIT with a higher degree of modification released increased the number of spin probes upon biodegradation, which significantly enhanced the Overhauser effect. Thus, HSA-NITs may represent a new class of MRI relaxation-based contrast agents as well as novel cleavable conjugates for use as hyperpolarizing contrast agents (HCAs) in OMRI.

Fluorinated Mn(III)/(II)-Porphyrin with Redox-Responsive 1 H and 19 F Relaxation Properties

A new fluorinated manganese porphyrin, (Mn-TPP-p-CF3 ) is reported capable of providing, based on the Mn(III)/Mn(II) equilibrium, dual 1 H relaxivity and 19 F NMR response to redox changes. The physical-chemical characterization of both redox states in DMSO-d6 /H2 O evidenced that the 1 H relaxometric and 19 F NMR properties are appropriate for differential redox MRI detection. The Mn(III)-F distance (dMn-F =9.7-10 Å), as assessed by DFT calculations, is well tailored to allow for adequate paramagnetic effect of Mn(III) on 19 F T1 and T2 relaxation times. Mn-TPP-p-CF3 has a reversible Mn(II)/Mn(III) redox potential of 0.574 V vs. NHE in deoxygenated aqueous HEPES/ THF solution. The reduction of Mn(III)-TPP-p-CF3 in the presence of ascorbic acid is slowly, but fully reversed in the presence of air oxygen, as monitored by UV-Vis spectrometry and 19 F NMR. The broad 1 H and 19 F NMR signals of Mn(III)-TPP-p-CF3 disappear in the presence of 1 equivalent ascorbate replaced by a shifted and broadened 19 F NMR signal from Mn(II)-TPP-p-CF3 . Phantom 19 F MR images in DMSO show a MRI signal intensity decrease upon reduction of Mn(III)-TPP-p-CF3 , retrieved upon complete reoxidation in air within ~24 h. 1 H NMRD curves of the Mn(III)/(II)-TPP-p-CF3 chelates in mixed DMSO/water solvent have the typical shape of Mn(II)/Mn(III) porphyrins.

Mn(II) complex impregnated porous silica nanoparticles as Zn(II)-responsive "Smart" MRI contrast agent for pancreas imaging

Type-1 and type-2 diabetes mellitus are metabolic disorders governed by the functional efficiency of pancreatic β-cells. The activities of the cells toward insulin production, storage, and secretion are accompanied by Zn(II) ions. Thus, for non-invasive pathology of the cell, developing Zn(II) ion-responsive MRI-contrast agents has earned considerable interest. In this report, we have synthesized a seven-coordinate, mono(aquated) Mn(II) complex (1), which is impregnated within a porous silica nanosphere of size 13.2 nm to engender the Mn(II)-based MRI contrast agent, complex 1@SiO2NP. The surface functionalization of the nanosphere by the Py2Pic organic moiety for the selective binding of Zn(II)-ions yields complex 1@SiO2-Py2PicNP, which exhibits r1 = 13.19 mM-1 s-1. The relaxivity value elevates to 20.38 mM-1 s-1 in the presence of 0.6 mM BSA protein at pH 7.4. Gratifyingly, r1 increases linearly with the increase of Zn(II) ion concentration and reaches 39.01 mM-1 s-1 in the presence of a 40 fold excess of the ions. Thus, Zn(II)-responsive contrast enhancement in vivo is envisaged by employing the nanoparticle. Indeed, a contrast enhancement in the pancreas is observed when complex 1@SiO2-Py2PicNP and a glucose stimulus are administered in fasted healthy C57BL/6 mice at 7 T.

Copper(II) complexes of cyclams with N-(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)-aminoalkyl pendant arms as potential probes for 19F magnetic resonance imaging

A series of Cu(II) complexes with cyclam-based ligands containing two N-(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)-aminoalkyl pendant arms in 1,8-positions (L1: 1,2-ethylene spacer, L2: 1,3-propylene spacer; L3: 1,4-butylene spacer) was studied in respect to potential use as contrast agents for ¹⁹F magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A number of structures of the complexes as well as of several organic precursors were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Geometric parameters (especially distances between fluorine atoms and the central metal ion) were determined for each complex and the identity of isomeric complex species present in solution was established. The NMR longitudinal relaxation times (T₁) of ¹⁹F nuclei in the ligands at clinically relevant fields and temperatures (1-2 s) were significantly shortened upon Cu(II) binding to 7-10 ms for [Cu(L1)]²⁺, 20-30 ms for [Cu(L2)]²⁺ and 20-50 ms for [Cu(L3)]²⁺. The trend of the relaxation time shortening is in accordance with the distance and number of chemical bonds between fluorine atoms and the Cu(II) ion. The signals show promising T₂*/T₁ ratios in the range 0.25-0.55, assuring their good applicability to ¹⁹F NMR/MRI. The results show that even the Cu(II) ion, with a small magnetic moment, causes significant relaxation enhancement with a long-range effect and can be considered as a highly suitable metal ion for efficient ¹⁹F MRI contrast agents.

Advances in reaction-based synthetic fluorescent probes for studying the role of zinc and copper ions in living systems

Recently, the behavior of essential trace metal elements in living organisms has attracted more and more attention as their dynamics have been found to be tightly regulated by metallothionines, transporters, etc. As the physiological and/or pathological roles of such metal elements are critical, there have been many non-invasive methods developed to determine their cellular functions, mainly by small molecule fluorescent probes. In this review, we focus on probes that detect intracellular zinc and monovalent copper. Both zinc and copper act not only as tightly bound cofactors of enzymes and proteins but also as signaling factors as labile or loosely bound species. Many fluorescent probes that detect mobile zinc or monovalent copper are recognition-based probes, whose detection is hindered by the abundance of intracellular chelators such as glutathione which interfere with the interaction between probe and metal. In contrast, reaction-based probes release fluorophores triggered by zinc or copper and avoid interference from such intracellular chelators, allowing the detection of even low concentrations of such metals. Here, we summarize the current status of the cumulative effort to develop such reaction-based probes and discuss the strategies adopted to overcome their shortcomings.

Redox-Responsive MRI Probes Based on First-Row Transition-Metal Complexes

The presence of multiple oxidation and spin states of first-row transition-metal complexes facilitates the development of switchable MRI probes. Redox-responsive probes capitalize on a change in the magnetic properties of the different oxidation states of the paramagnetic metal ion center upon exposure to biological oxidants and reductants. Transition-metal complexes that are useful for MRI can be categorized according to whether they accelerate water proton relaxation (T₁ or T₂ agents), induce paramagnetic shifts of ¹H or ¹⁹F resonances (paraSHIFT agents), or are chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) agents. The various oxidation state couples and their properties as MRI probes are summarized with a focus on Co(II)/Co(III) or Fe(II)/Fe(III) complexes as small molecules or as liposomal agents. Solution studies of these MRI probes are reviewed with an emphasis on redox changes upon treatment with oxidants or with enzymes that are physiologically important in inflammation and disease. Finally, we outline the challenges of developing these probes further for in vivo MRI applications.

Rigid versions of PDTA4- incorporating a 1,3-diaminocyclobutyl spacer for Mn2+ complexation: stability, water exchange dynamics and relaxivity

Rigid derivatives of the acyclic ligand PDTA4- (H₄PDTA = propylenediamine-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid) were prepared by functionalization of a 1,3-diaminocyclobutyl spacer. The new ligands contain either four acetate groups attached to the central scaffold (H4L1) or incorporate pyridyl (H2L2) or propylamide (H2L3) units replacing two of the carboxylate groups. The ligand protonation constants and the stability constants of their Mn²⁺ complexes were determined using potentiometric and spectrophotometric titrations. The stability of the [Mn(L1)]^2- complex was found to be significantly higher than that of the flexible [Mn(PDTA)]^2- derivative (log K_MnL = 10.78 and 10.01, respectively). A detailed study of the ¹H Nuclear Magnetic Relaxation Dispersion (NMRD) profiles and ¹⁷O NMR measurements evidence that the [Mn(L1)]^2- and [Mn(L2)] complexes display a hydration equilibrium in solution involving a seven-coordinate species with an inner-sphere water molecule and a six-coordinate species that lacks a coordinated water molecule. As a result the ¹H relaxivities of these complexes are somewhat lower than that of [Mn(EDTA)]^2- and related systems. The introduction of propylamide groups in [Mn(L3)] shifts the hydration equilibrium to the seven-coordinate species, which results in a ¹H relaxivity (r_1p = 3.7 mM^-1 s^-1 at 22 MHz and 25 °C) exceeding that of [Mn(EDTA)]^2- (r_1p = 3.3 mM^-1 s^-1 at 22 MHz and 25 °C). The parameters that control the relaxivities in this family of complexes were determined by simultaneous fitting of the experimental ¹H NMRD and ¹⁷O NMR data (transverse relaxation rates and chemical shifts), with the aid of computational studies performed at the DFT and CASSCF/NEVPT2 levels. These studies provide detailed insight of the parameters that control the efficiency of these relaxation agents at the molecular level.