Increasing the length of the carboxyamide arm of a GdDOTA monoamide (DOTA = 1,4,7,10-tetraaza-1,4,7,10-tetrakis(carboxymethyl)cyclododecane) complex from acetic to propionic accelerates the water exchange rate (k(ex)) by nearly two orders of magnitude; the (1)H relaxivity of the corresponding macromolecular derivatives may then be remarkably enhanced in MRI-based molecular imaging applications, as exemplified in the case of micellar systems.
Three novel chelators based on the 6-amino-6-methylperhydro-1,4-diazepine scaffold and possessing three pendant N-acetic or N-α-methylacetic acid have been synthesised. The ligands contain six donor atoms for complexation of Mn(II) ions and thus potentially leave an additional site for coordination of a water molecule. The protonation constants of the ligands and the stability constants of their complexes formed with Mn(II) ion were determined by pH-potentiometric titrations in 0.15 M NaCl solution at 25 °C and compared to those of the parent AAZTA ligand (AAZTA = 6-amino-6-methylperhydro-1,4-diazepine tetraacetic acid). In spite of the similar value of the total basicity (Σlog K), the values of the stability constants of the Mn(II)AAZTA-like complexes are more than three orders of magnitude lower than that of MnAAZTA (log K(MnL) = 14.19). A detailed (1)H and (17)O NMR relaxometric study was carried out on the Mn(II) complexes in aqueous solution as a function of pH, temperature and magnetic field strength. The (1)H NMRD profiles of all the complexes show a similar shape, typical of low-molecular weight systems, but amplitudes that markedly differ to indicate a different degree of hydration. A similar behaviour is shown by the (17)O NMR transverse relaxation rates and chemical shift data as a function of temperature. The experimental data can be rationalised by considering the presence in solution of a mixture of two isomeric species differing in coordination number (7 and 6) and in the number (1 and 0) of bound water molecules. Whereas this type of coordination equilibrium has been previously reported for lanthanide(III) complexes, it is observed for the first time on Mn(II) chelates.
Monomeric and dimeric bifunctional chelates based on the AAZTA (6-amino-6-methylperhydro-1,4-diazepinetetraacetic acid) platform bearing arylamino and isothiocyanate groups for conjugation to biomolecules were synthesised. Both systems were used for the preparation of high relaxivity dendrimeric (PAMAM G1) and multimeric octa-Gd(III) complexes. These systems show enhanced relaxometric properties attributed to the presence of two coordinated, fast exchanging, water molecules (q = 2) on each metal ion and to a rather rigid and compact molecular structure.
The Ugi four-component reaction (Ugi 4CR) was exploited for the first time to obtain in a single synthetic step bifunctional ditopic chelators by using DOTA monoamide (DOTAMA) derivatives as amino and acid components. A number of ditopic systems in which the two DOTAMA units are connected by a central alpha-acylaminoamide group were synthesized by reacting different aldehydes, isocyanides and two DOTAMA chelates containing amino and acid functionalities. Variation of the components allows the insertion of another functional group into the alpha-acylaminoamide skeleton for further conjugation to biomolecules. The optimal reaction conditions were found by using methanol as solvent and ultrasound irradiation at a power of 60 W (20 kHz) for 3 h. The Gd(III) complexes of the dimeric ligands L1 and L2 (bearing a cyclohexyl ring and an octadecyl chain on the central alpha-acylaminoamide moiety, respectively) were fully characterized in aqueous media by relaxometric techniques with varying temperature and magnetic field strength. The relaxivity of Gd(2)L1 and Gd(2)L2 (in the aggregated form), at 20 MHz and 310 K, are 5.6 and 20.0 mM(-1) s(-1), respectively. The enhanced value found for Gd(2)L2 indicates that this lipophilic complex forms micelles at concentrations <0.1 mM. Finally, the binding of Gd(2)L2 to human serum albumin (HSA) was investigated by proton relaxometry, and the affinity constant of the complex and the relaxivity of the macromolecular adduct (r(1p)(b) = 38.1 mM(-1) s(-1); 20 MHz and 310 K) derived.
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