Determination of proton relaxivities of Mn(II), Cu(II) and Cr(III) added to solutions of serum proteins.

Relaxometric studies are still of scientific interest due to their use in medicine and biology. In this study, proton T(1) and T(2) relaxivities of Mn(II), Cu(II) and Cr(III) in water were determined in the presence and absence of various proteins (albumin, alpha-globulin, gamma-globulin, lysozyme, fibrinogen). The 1/T(1) and 1/T(2) in all solutions are linearly proportional to the concentration of the paramagnetic ions. Mn(II) has the great influence to alter relaxations in all protein solutions, while Cu(II) and Cr(III) have a poor influence on the relaxations. In addition, Mn(II) and Cu(II) are bound to each protein, but Cr(III) is not bound to any protein.