BACKGROUND Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has high spatial resolution, but low sensitivity for visualization of molecular targets in the central nervous system (CNS). Our goal was to develop a new MRI method with the potential for non-invasive molecular brain imaging. We herein introduce new bio-nanotechnology approaches for designing CNS contrast media based on the ubiquitous clathrin cell p...

A pyridine-N-oxide functionalized DOTA analogue has been conjugated to a calix[4]arene and the corresponding Gd-complex was characterized with respect to its suitability as MRI contrast agent. The compound forms spherical micelles in water with a cmc of 35 microM and a radius of 8.2 nm. The relaxivity of these aggregates is 31.2 s(-1) mM(-1) at 25 degrees C and 20 MHz, which corresponds to a mo...

BACKGROUND The upregulation of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) on the endothelium of blood vessels in response to pro-inflammatory stimuli is of major importance for the regulation of local inflammation in cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction and stroke. In vivo molecular imaging of ICAM-1 will improve diagnosis and follow-up of patients by non-invas...

Proton NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) measurements were made of T1 and T2 relaxation times of water in saturated sands containing varying amounts of sorbed oil on the grain surfaces. The porosity, surface area, and grain density of the sands and the relaxation times of the extracted pore water were also determined experimentally. Sorption of oil changed the relaxation time of water in the sat...

Proton spin-lattice relaxation rates (R1) have been measured in a variety of dark-adapted chloroplast suspensions over a range of field stengths between 1 and 15 kG (4-65 MHz). When the effects of EDTA or Tris washing on chloroplast relaxivities are compared, the pool of Mn associated with oxygen evolution is seen not to contribute significantly to relaxivity. Instead, nearly all of the observe...

A new Gadolinium(III)-coumarin complex, DO3A-Gd-CA, was designed and prepared as a dual-modal probe for simultaneous fluorescence and relaxivity responses to fluoride ions (F-) in aqueous media and mice. DO3A-Gd-CA was designed by using Gd(III) center as an MRI signal output unit and fluoride binding site, and the 4-(diethylamino)-coumarin-3-carboxylic acid (CA) as a fluorescence reporter. Upon...

Middle-molecular-weight MRI contrast agents based on conjugates of a phosphinic acid DOTA analogue, 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-4,7,10-triacetic-1-{methyl[(4-aminophenyl)methyl]phosphinic acid} (DO3AP(ABn)), with amino-substituted cyclodextrins were prepared and studied by a variety of physico-chemical methods. The conjugates were formed by reaction of the corresponding isothiocyanate with p...

Background A T1 nanoparticle contrast agent showing high r1 relaxivity is desired to provide more sensitive molecular/ cellular imaging with reduced Gd dose, and may have more clinical utility than T2* (e.g., iron-based) approaches. Tethering multiple Gd-chelates to a supramolecular platform is a promising strategy to increase r1 relaxivity, as rotational correlation time of the Gd ions can bec...

The simple modification of the hydroxypropyl arm in Gd(HP-DO3A) complex allows to achieve an increased relaxivity by activation intramolecular catalysis proton exchange process.

Gadolinium diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) has not proved particularly useful for hepatosplenic magnetic resonance imaging. However, by entrapping the Gd-DTPA within lipid vesicles, one may exploit the ability of the reticuloendothelial system to endocytose particulates, permitting passive delivery of contrast agent to the liver and spleen while decreasing the rate of clearance of Gd-...