Dendritic MRI contrast agents: an efficient prelabeling approach based on CuAAC
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Updated: May 31, 2026
Preparation and In Vitro Characterization of Dendrimer-based Contrast Agents for Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Published on: December 4, 2016
Francisco Fernández-Trillo1, Jesús Pacheco-Torres, Juan Correa
1Department of Organic Chemistry and Center for Research in Biological Chemistry and Molecular Materials (CIQUS), University of Santiago de Compostela, Jenaro de la Fuente s/n, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Abstract:
The Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) allows the efficient and complete functionalization of dendrimers with preformed Gd chelates (prelabeling) to give monodisperse macromolecular contrast agents (CAs) for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This monodispersity contrasts with the typical distribution of materials obtained by classical routes and facilitates the characterization and quality control demanded for clinical applications. The potential of a new family of PEG-dendritic CA based on a gallic acid-triethylene glycol (GATG) core functionalized with up to 27 Gd complexes has been explored in vitro and in vivo, showing contrast enhancements similar to those of Gadomer-17, which reveals them to be a promising platform for the development of CA for MRI.
