Rationale and Objectives:To characterize and compare commercially available contrast media (CM) for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in terms of their relaxivity at magnetic field strengths ranging from 0.47 T to 4.7 T at physiological temperatures in water and in plasma. Relaxivities also were quan

Comparison of magnetic properties of MRI contrast media solutions at different magnetic field strengths.

Gadolinium(III) complexes are often used in clinical MRI to increase contrast by selectively relaxing the water molecules near the complex. There is a desire to improve the sensitivity (relaxivity) of these contrast agents in order to detect molecular targets. This tutorial review describes the molecular factors that contribute to relaxivity and illustrates with recent examples how these can be optimized. It may be of interest to senior undergraduates and more advanced researchers interested in lanthanide chemistry, biophysics, and/or molecular imaging.

Strategies for increasing the sensitivity of gadolinium based MRI contrast agents.

Human serum albumin (HSA), the most prominent protein in plasma, binds different classes of ligands at multiple sites HSA provides a depot for many compounds, affects pharmacokinetics of many drugs, holds some ligands in a strained orientation providing their metabolic modification, renders potential toxins harmless transporting them to disposal sites, accounts for most of the antioxidant capacity of human serum, and acts as a NO-carrier The globular domain structural organization of monomeric HSA is at the root of its allosteric properties which are reminiscent of those of multimeric proteins Here, structural, functional, biotechnological, and biomedical aspects of ligand binding to HSA are summarized

https://iubmb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/15216540500404093

The extraordinary ligand binding properties of human serum albumin

The chemistry of the less familiar elements is a fascinating topic especially for the inorganic minded. The lanthanides, or rare earths, comprise the 5d block of the periodic table and represent a huge array of applications from catalysis to lasers, and of course, imaging agents.1

Recent advances in luminescence and magnetic resonance microscopy have, in part, been stimulated by extraordinary success in the development of new lanthanide probes. The unique properties of the lanthanides provide for a deep tool chest for the chemist, biologist and the imaging scientist to exploit, and that exploitation is in full swing.

In this review we focus on two classes of lanthanide probes that are subsets of the larger area of metalloimaging: luminescent and magnetic lanthanides. In Section 2 we discuss the general design and photophysical properties of lanthanides and how these parameters are tuned to develop bioresponsive probes for optical imaging. In Section 3 we provide a brief description of how MR images are acquired and the how MRI contrast agents are engineered to respond to biological events of interest. These guiding principles have driven research that has produced a truly diverse number of new agents that are target specific and bioresponsive (or bioactivatable). While other imaging modalities utilize lanthanide-based probes, these topics are beyond the scope of this review. We direct the reader to explore some excellent reviews in the important areas of radiometals and multimodal imaging.2–5

/pdf/lanthanide-probes-for-bioresponsive-imaging-2fchc835lt.pdf

Lanthanide probes for bioresponsive imaging.

Tens of millions of contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exams are performed annually around the world. The contrast agents, which improve diagnostic accuracy, are almost exclusively small, hydrophilic gadolinium(III) based chelates. In recent years concerns have arisen surrounding the long-term safety of these compounds, and this has spurred research into alternatives. There has also been a push to develop new molecularly targeted contrast agents or agents that can sense pathological changes in the local environment. This comprehensive review describes the state of the art of clinically approved contrast agents, their mechanism of action, and factors influencing their safety. From there we describe different mechanisms of generating MR image contrast such as relaxation, chemical exchange saturation transfer, and direct detection and the types of molecules that are effective for these purposes. Next we describe efforts to make safer contrast agents either by increasing relaxivity, increasing resistance to metal ion release, or by moving to gadolinium(III)-free alternatives. Finally we survey approaches to make contrast agents more specific for pathology either by direct biochemical targeting or by the design of responsive or activatable contrast agents.

Chemistry of MRI Contrast Agents: Current Challenges and New Frontiers

MS-325 is a novel blood pool contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging currently undergoing clinical trials to assess blockage in arteries. MS-325 functions by binding to human serum albumin (HSA) in plasma. Binding to HSA serves to prolong plasma half-life, retain the agent in the blood pool, and increase the relaxation rate of water protons in plasma. Ultrafiltration studies with a 5 kDa molecular weight cutoff filter show that MS-325 binds to HSA with stepwise stoichiometric affinity constants (mM(-1)) of K(a1) = 11.0 +/- 2.7, K(a2) = 0.84 +/- 0.16, K(a3) = 0.26 +/- 0.14, and K(a4) = 0.43 +/- 0.24. Under the conditions 0.1 mM MS-325, 4.5% HSA, pH 7.4 (phosphate-buffered saline), and 37 degrees C, 88 +/- 2% of MS-325 is bound to albumin. Fluorescent probe displacement studies show that MS-325 can displace dansyl sarcosine and dansyl-L-asparagine from HSA with inhibition constants (K(i)) of 85 +/- 3 microM and 1500 +/- 850 microM, respectively; however, MS-325 is unable to displace warfarin. These results suggest that MS-325 binds primarily to site II on HSA. The relaxivity of MS-325 when bound to HSA is shown to be site dependent. The Eu(III) analogue of MS-325 is shown to contain one inner-sphere water molecule in the presence and in the absence of HSA. The synthesis of an MS-325 analogue, 5, containing no inner-sphere water molecules is described. Compound 5 is used to estimate the contribution to relaxivity from the outer-sphere water molecules surrounding MS-325. The high relaxivity of MS-325 bound to HSA is primarily because of a 60-100-fold increase in the rotational correlation time of the molecule upon binding (tau(R) = 10.1 +/- 2.6 ns bound vs 115 ps free). Analysis of the nuclear magnetic relaxation dispersion (T(1) and T(2)) profiles also suggests a decrease in the electronic relaxation rate (1/T(1e) at 20 MHz = 2.0 x 10(8) s(-1) bound vs 1.1 x 10(9) s(-1) free) and an increase in the inner-sphere water residency time (tau(m) = 170 +/- 40 ns bound vs 69 +/- 20 ns free).

The interaction of MS-325 with human serum albumin and its effect on proton relaxation rates.

The amphiphilic gadolinium complex MS-325 ((trisodium-{(2-(R)-[(4,4-diphenylcyclohexyl) phosphonooxymethyl] diethylenetriaminepentaacetato) (aquo)gadolinium(III)}) is a contrast agent for magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) MS-325 consists of two slowly interconverting diastereoisomers, A and B (65:35 ratio), which can be isolated at pH > 85 (Tyeklar, Z; Dunham, S U; Midelfort, K; Scott, D M; Sajiki, H; Ong, K; Lauffer, R B; Caravan, P; McMurry, T J Inorg Chem 2007, 46, 6621−6631) MS-325 binds to human serum albumin (HSA) in plasma resulting in an extended plasma half-life, retention of the agent within the blood compartment, and an increased relaxation rate of water protons in plasma Under physiological conditions (37 °C, pH 74, phosphate buffered saline (PBS), 45% HSA, 005 mM complex), there is no statistical difference in HSA affinity or relaxivity between the two isomers (A 886 ± 06% bound, r1 = 420 ± 10 mM-1 s-1 at 20 MHz; B 902 ± 06% bound, r1 = 383 ± 10 mM-1 s-1 at 20

Albumin binding, relaxivity, and water exchange kinetics of the diastereoisomers of MS-325, a gadolinium(III)-based magnetic resonance angiography contrast agent.

The synthesis of a novel ligand, based on N-methyl-diethylenetriaminetetraacetate and containing a diphenylcyclohexyl serum albumin binding group (L1) is described and the coordination chemistry and biophysical properties of its Gd(III) complex Gd-L1 are reported. The Gd(III) complex of the diethylenetriaminepentaacetate analogue of the ligand described here (L2) is the MRI contrast agent MS-325. The effect of converting an acetate to a methyl group on metal-ligand stability, hydration number, water-exchange rate, relaxivity, and binding to the protein human serum albumin (HSA) is explored. The complex Gd-L1 has two coordinated water molecules in solution, that is, [Gd(L1)(H2O)2]2- as shown by D-band proton ENDOR spectroscopy and implied by 1H and 17O NMR relaxation rate measurements. The Gd-H(water) distance of the coordinated waters was found to be identical to that found for Gd-L2, 3.08 A. Loss of the acetate group destabilizes the Gd(III) complex by 1.7 log units (log K(ML) = 20.34) relative to the complex with L2. The affinity of Gd-L1 for HSA is essentially the same as that of Gd-L2. The water-exchange rate of the two coordinated waters on Gd-L1 (k(ex) = 4.4x10(5) s(-1)) is slowed by an order of magnitude relative to Gd-L2. As a result of this slow water-exchange rate, the observed proton relaxivity of Gd-L1 is much lower in a solution of HSA under physiological conditions (r1(obs) = 22.0 mM(-1) s(-1) for 0.1 mM Gd-L1 in 0.67 mM HSA, HEPES buffer, pH 7.4, 35 degrees C at 20 MHz) than that of Gd-L2 (r1(obs) = 41.5 mM(-1) s(-1)) measured under the same conditions. Despite having two exchangeable water molecules, slow water exchange limits the potential efficacy of Gd-L1 as an MRI contrast agent.

Sarah A. McDermid

Papers

The interaction of MS-325 with human serum albumin and its effect on proton relaxation rates.

Albumin binding, relaxivity, and water exchange kinetics of the diastereoisomers of MS-325, a gadolinium(III)-based magnetic resonance angiography contrast agent.

When are two waters worse than one? Doubling the hydration number of a Gd-DTPA derivative decreases relaxivity.