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Paramagnetic lanthanide complexes as PARACEST agents for medical imaging.
Mark Woods1, Donald E Woessner, A Dean Sherry
1Macrocyclics, 2110 Research Row, Suite 425, Dallas, TX 75235, USA.
Chemical Society Reviews
|May 27, 2006
Summary
This review explores chemical shift saturation transfer (CEST) contrast agents for MRI. Paramagnetic CEST (PARACEST) agents can report physiological and metabolic data, with their sensitivity optimized using NMR exchange theory.
Area of Science:
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
- Biomedical Engineering
- Chemical Physics
Background:
- Chemical Shift Saturation Transfer (CEST) is a mechanism for MRI contrast agents.
- Paramagnetic CEST (PARACEST) agents offer responsive reporting of physiological and metabolic information.
- Optimization of PARACEST agents is crucial for enhancing MRI sensitivity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the fundamental aspects of CEST contrast media for MRI.
- To elucidate the utility of PARACEST agents in reporting physiological and metabolic data.
- To demonstrate the application of NMR exchange theory for optimizing PARACEST agent sensitivity.
Main Methods:
- Examination of the chemical shift saturation transfer (CEST) mechanism.
- Analysis of paramagnetic CEST (PARACEST) agents.
- Application of basic Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) exchange theory.
Main Results:
- PARACEST agents are useful for reporting physiological and metabolic information via MRI.
- NMR exchange theory can predict how to optimize agent parameters.
- Key parameters for maximizing sensitivity include chemical shift, bound water lifetimes, and relaxation rates.
Conclusions:
- CEST agents represent a new class of MRI contrast media.
- PARACEST agents provide a responsive platform for MRI-based physiological and metabolic reporting.
- Theoretical predictions can guide the development of highly sensitive PARACEST agents.