Mauro Botta

Lanthanide(III) chelates for NMR biomedical applications

The peculiar magnetic properties of lanthanide(III) ions may be exploited for the development of powerful NMR probes for biomedical applications. GdIII chelates are in current clinical use as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging. Other paramagnetic lanthanide(III) complexes endowed with shift reagent capabilities are used for the separation of NMR resonances of species present in the inner and outer cellular compartments and for the measurement of pH and temperature.

Gd(III)-BASED CONTRAST AGENTS FOR MRI

Publisher Summary Gd(III) chelates have played an important role in the development of clinical applications of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) technique by adding relevant physiological information to the superb anatomical resolution attainable with this imaging modality. The major challenges are in the emerging field of Molecular Imaging where the competition with other imaging modalities can be very tight. Targeting of thrombi and atherosclerotic plaques by peptides functionalized with Gd(III) chelates appears to be the next goal for industrial research. The search for improved Gd(III)-based agents has been highly beneficial for the growth of lanthanide coordination chemistry and has created a very fertile interdisciplinary area with contributions from Chemistry, Biology, Medicine, and Imaging technology. The requisite for more efficient Gd(III)-based probes for more advanced MRI applications will be the driving force for further goals in lanthanide coordination chemistry.

Second Coordination Sphere Water Molecules and Relaxivity of Gadolinium(III) Complexes: Implications for MRI Contrast Agents

Dipolar interaction between the metal ion and proximate water molecules represents an efficient mechanism for solvent relaxation in Gd3+ complexes currently employed as MRI contrast agents. Besides inner sphere (metal bound) and outer sphere hydration molecules, a well-defined second coordination shell may provide an additional mechanism for paramagnetic relaxation leading to a strong enhancement of the relaxivity of the complexes. Through a careful choice of hydrogen-bond-acceptor groups on the ligand we may: (1) promote the formation of a strong interaction; (2) increase the number of water molecules in the second hydration shell; (3) decrease their average distance from the paramagnetic metal center. These possibilities have been explored by considering complexes bearing phosphinate, phosphonate and carboxoamide pendant arms, by exploiting the formation of ion-pairs with cationic substrates and inclusion compounds of these adducts with -cyclodextrin. Finally, the contribution of this relaxation mechanism to the relaxivity of the commercially available MRI contrast agents is discussed and the NMRD data reevaluated and compared with crystallographic data.β

High Relaxivity Gadolinium Hydroxypyridonate-Viral Capsid Conjugates: Nano-sized MRI Contrast Agents

High relaxivity macromolecular contrast agents based on the conjugation of gadolinium chelates to the interior and exterior surfaces of MS2 viral capsids are assessed. The proton nuclear magnetic relaxation dispersion (NMRD) profiles of the conjugates show up to a 5-fold increase in relaxivity, leading to a peak relaxivity (per Gd3+ ion) of 41.6 mM(-1) s(-1) at 30 MHz for the internally modified capsids. Modification of the exterior was achieved through conjugation to flexible lysines, while internal modification was accomplished by conjugation to relatively rigid tyrosines. Higher relaxivities were obtained for the internally modified capsids, showing that (i) there is facile diffusion of water to the interior of capsids and (ii) the rigidity of the linker attaching the complex to the macromolecule is important for obtaining high relaxivity enhancements. The viral capsid conjugated gadolinium hydroxypyridonate complexes appear to possess two inner-sphere water molecules (q = 2), and the NMRD fittings highlight the differences in the local motion for the internal (tauRl = 440 ps) and external (tauRl = 310 ps) conjugates. These results indicate that there are significant advantages of using the internal surface of the capsids for contrast agent attachment, leaving the exterior surface available for the installation of tissue targeting groups.

Gd(III) complexes as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging: a proton relaxation enhancement study of the interaction with human serum albumin

Abstract The non-covalent interaction between human serum albumin (HSA) and DOTA-like Gd(III) complexes containing hydrophobic benzyloxymethyl (BOM) substituents has been thoroughly investigated by measuring the solvent proton relaxation rates of their aqueous solutions. The binding association constants (KA) to HSA are directly related to the number of hydrophobic substituents present on the surface of the complexes. Furthermore, an estimation of ΔH° and ΔS° has been obtained by the temperature dependence of KA. Assays performed with the competitor probes warfarin and ibuprofen established that the complexes interact with HSA through two nearly equivalent binding sites located in the subdomains IIA and IIIA of the protein. Strong relaxation enhancements, promoted by the formation of slowly tumbling paramagnetic adducts, have been measured at 20 MHz for complexes containing two and three hydrophobic substituents. The macromolecular adduct with the latter species has a relaxivity of 53.2±0.7 mM–1 s–1, which represents the highest value so far reported for a Gd(III) complex. The temperature dependence of the relaxivity for the paramagnetic adducts with HSA indicates long exchange lifetimes for the water molecules dipolarly interacting with the paramagnetic centre. This is likely to be related to the formation, upon hydrophobic interaction of the complexes with HSA, of a clathrate-like, second-coordination-sphere arrangement of water molecules. Besides affecting the dissociative pathway of the coordinated water molecule, this water arrangement may itself significantly contribute to enhancement of the bulk solvent relaxation rate.

Large relaxivity enhancement of paramagnetic lipid nanoparticles by restricting the local motions of the Gd(III) chelates.

A Gd(III)-DOTA-like complex bearing two aliphatic chains on adjacent acetic arms was designed, synthesized, and compared with its analogous monofunctionalized complex. A 1/T(1) NMR relaxometric study of the two amphiphilic complexes incorporated into micelles and liposomes showed an unprecedented relaxivity enhancement for the complex with two lipophilic side arms. This remarkable result, which is attributed to a favorable water exchange rate and increased rigidity of the system resulting from limiting of the local motion of the gadolinium center, represents an important advance in the development of highly efficient nanosystems for MRI applications.

Ternary Gd(III)L-HSA adducts: Evidence for the replacement of inner-sphere water molecules by coordinating groups of the protein. Implications for the design of contrast agents for MRI

Abstract Two novel gadolinium(III) chelates based on the structure of the heptadentate macrocyclic 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7-triacetic acid (DO3A) ligand have been synthesized and their relaxometric and luminescent properties thoroughly investigated. They contain two water molecules in the inner coordination sphere in fast exchange with the bulk solvent and bear either a p-bromobenzyl or a p-phosphonatomethylbenzanilido substituent for promoting further interaction with macromolecular substrates. Upon interaction with human serum albumin the expected relaxation enhancement is not observed owing to displacement of the two inner-sphere water molecules of the complexes by a donor atom (likely from a carboxylate group) on the protein and possibly the phosphate anion of the buffered solution, respectively. We modeled the observed behavior by measuring the decrease of the relaxation rate of the water protons upon addition of malonate anion to aqueous solutions of the complexes. Conversely, no change in the hydratation state of the Gd(III) center for both complexes has been observed when the substrate for the formation of the macromolecular adduct is represented by poly-β-cyclodextrin.

NMR relaxometric studies of Gd(III) complexes with heptadentate macrocyclic ligands

The water 1H and 17O NMR relaxation properties of solutions containing Gd(III) chelates of the heptadentate DO3A, PCTA[12] and PCTP[12] ligands were thoroughly investigated and the results obtained are compared with those previously reported for other Gd(III) complexes with octadentate ligands {H3DO3A=1,4,7,10‐tetraazacyclododecane 1,4,7‐triacetic acid; H3PCTA[12]=3,6,9,15‐tetraazabicyclo[9.3.1]pentadeca‐1(15),11,13‐triene‐3,6,9‐triacetic acid; H6PCTP[12]=3,6,9,15‐tetraazabicyclo[9.3.1]pentadeca‐1(15),11,13‐triene‐3,6,9‐tris(methanephosphonic) acid}. The observed behaviour is consistent with a hydration number q=2 in the case of GdDO3A and GdPCTA[12] and q=1 in the case of PCTP[12]. The high relaxivity of the latter complex is accounted for in terms of the occurrence of an additional contribution arising from water molecules tightly bound to the phosphonate moieties on the surface of the paramagnetic chelate. Furthermore, it was found that the decreased relaxation rates observed at basic pH in the case of GdDO3A and GdPCTA[12] can probably be ascribed to a partial decrease in their hydration. The measurement of 17O NMR transverse relaxation rates, in the temperature range 273–342 K, allowed the assessment of the water exchange rate between the coordination site and the bulk solvent. A particularly short exchange lifetime was measured for the octacoordinate GdPCTP[12], which suggests the occurrence of an associative exchange mechanism. Further insights into the understanding of the structural properties of the three complexes were gained by measuring the magnetic field dependence (NMRD profiles) of the proton relaxivity on a Koenig–Brown field cycling relaxometer.

Relaxometric evaluation of novel manganese(II) complexes for application as contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging

Abstract. Three novel Mn(II) complexes bearing benzyloxymethyl functionalities are reported and their ability to enhance water (1H and 17O) relaxation times is investigated in detail. Two of them contain one coordinated water molecule and display relaxivity values only slightly smaller than those shown by the most clinically used contrast agents (e.g. [Gd(DTPA)(H2O)]2–). Moreover, in these Mn(II) chelates the exchange rate of the coordinated water is ca. one order of magnitude higher if compared to the exchange rates previously reported for Gd(III) complexes with octadentate ligands. The occurrence of such fast exchange rates of the coordinated water is exploited in the formation of macromolecular adducts with human serum albumin to attain systems displaying relaxivity values in the upper range of those so far reported for analogous Gd(III) systems. These results strongly support the view that Mn(II) complexes, in spite of the lower effective magnetic moment, can be considered as viable alternatives to the currently used Gd(III) complexes as contrast agents for MRI applications.

Crystal structure and solution dynamics of the lutetium(III) chelate of DOTA

Abstract The X-ray structure of Na[Lu(DOTA)(H 2 O)]·4H 2 O consists of (−1) complex anions balanced by sodium cations. The ninecoordinate Lu(III) is linked to the four nitrogen and to four oxygen atoms of the macrocyclic ligand DOTA in a square antiprismatic arrangement with a coordinated water molecule in capping position. In aqueous solution the complex is present under two isomeric forms in the relative ratio of 10:1, as evaluated from the low temperature limiting 13C NMR spectrum. The variable temperature behavior is consistent with the presence of two dynamic processes. One exchanges enantiomeric pairs for both isomers and involves concerted conformational changes of the ethylenic groups of the macrocyclic ring and rotation of the acetate arms. The other corresponds to the interconversion between the two isomers. Complete line-shape analysis of the variable-temperature 13C NMR spectra of Lu-DOTA allowed a quantitative evaluation of the two processes. The enantiomerization is slower than the isomerization: the corresponding calculated free energies of activation are 65.9 ± 1.2, 62.7 ± 2.0 (exchange major ⇌ minor) and 58.7 ± 2.I kJ mol −1 (exchange minor ⇌ major), respectively.