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Updated: Jan 23, 2026

Preparation, Purification, and Characterization of Lanthanide Complexes for Use as Contrast Agents for Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Published on: July 21, 2011
Water exchange in lanthanide complexes for MRI applications. Lessons learned over the last 25 years
Peter Caravan1, David Esteban-Gómez2, Aurora Rodríguez-Rodríguez2
1The Institute for Innovation in Imaging and the A. A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 149 13th Street, Suite 2301, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129, USA.
Abstract:
The water exchange rates of water molecules coordinated to the metal ion in lanthanide complexes have been profusely investigated during the last 25 years, especially in the case of Gd3+ and Eu3+ complexes. This is mainly related to the important application of some Gd3+ complexes as contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and the intensive investigation of Eu3+ complexes as contrast agent candidates providing contrast through the chemical exchange saturation transfer mechanism (CEST). Both applications require a fine tunning of the exchange rate of the coordinated water molecule to yield optimal response. Herein we review the progress made in this field to control water exchange in a rational way through ligand design, providing relationships between the observed trends, the structures of the complexes and the mechanisms responsible for the water exchange reaction.
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