A variety of (super)paramagnetic contrast agents are available for enhanced MR visualization of specific tissues, cells, or molecules. In order to develop alternative contrast agents without the presence of metal ions, liposomes were developed containing simple bioorganic and biodegradable compounds that produce diamagnetic Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (DIACEST) MR contrast. This DIACEST contrast is frequency-dependent, allowing the unique generation of “multi-color” images. The contrast can be turned on and off at will, and standard images do not show the presence of these agents. As an example, glycogen, L-arginine, and poly-L-Lysine were encapsulated inside liposomes and injected intradermally into mice to image the lymphatic uptake of these liposomes. Using a frequency-dependent acquisition scheme, it is demonstrated that multi-color MRI can differentiate between different contrast particles in vivo following their homing to draining lymph nodes. Being non-metallic and bioorganic, these DIACEST liposomes form an attractive novel platform for multi-color imaging in vivo.
Liposome-based chemical exchange saturation transfer (lipoCEST) agents have shown great sensitivity and potential for molecular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Here we demonstrate that the size of liposomes can be exploited to enhance the lipoCEST contrast. A concise analytical model is developed to describe the contrast dependence on size for an ensemble of liposomes. The model attributes the increased lipoCEST contrast in smaller liposomes to their larger surface-to-volume ratio, causing an increased membrane water exchange rate. Experimentally measured rates correlate with size, in agreement with the model. The water permeability of liposomal membrane is found to be 1.11 ± 0.14 μm/s for the specific lipid composition at 22 °C. Availability of the model allows rational design of the size of liposomes and quantification of their properties. These new theoretical and experimental tools are expected to benefit applications of liposomes to sensing the cellular environment, targeting and imaging biological processes, and optimizing drug delivery properties.
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