Two fluorinated thulium complexes as molecular temperature sensors in MR applications

Area of Science:

• Inorganic Chemistry
• Biomedical Imaging
• Materials Science

Background:

• Standard proton (¹H) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging faces challenges in certain applications.
• Fluorine-19 (¹⁹F) MR offers unique advantages for overcoming these limitations.
• Temperature sensing in biological systems is crucial for various medical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize novel thulium (Tm³⁺) complexes for ¹⁹F MR applications.
• To evaluate the potential of these complexes as temperature sensors.
• To assess the cell viability and stability of the synthesized complexes.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of two distinct Tm³⁺ complexes.
• Characterization of the complexes, including spectroscopic analysis.
• Evaluation of cell viability using standard assays.
• Assessment of complex stability under relevant conditions.
• Temperature-dependent measurements using ¹⁹F MR spectroscopy.

Main Results:

• Successful synthesis and characterization of two Tm³⁺ complexes.
• Demonstrated temperature-dependent chemical shift in ¹⁹F NMR for both complexes (ΔC_T = -0.2319 ppm K^-1 and -0.2122 ppm K^-1).
• Both complexes exhibited good cell viability and stability.
• The complexes function as effective temperature probes without requiring a reference compound.

Conclusions:

• The developed Tm³⁺ complexes are promising candidates for ¹⁹F MR-based temperature imaging.
• These complexes offer a novel, reference-free approach for non-invasive temperature monitoring.
• Further investigation is warranted for their application in biomedical settings.