Gold nanoparticles functionalised with stable, fast water exchanging Gd3+ chela...

• Author(s): Ferreira, Miguel Filipe Moreira Marques ; Mousavi, Bibimaryam ; Ferreira, Paula M. T. ; Martins, Catarina ; Helm, Lothar ; Martins, José A. ; Geraldes, Carlos F. G. C.
• Date: 2012
• Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/1822/22024
• Origin: RepositóriUM - Universidade do Minho
• Subject(s): Gold nanoparticles; Gd3+ chelates; Fast water exchange; Kinetic inertness; Safe for in vivo applications; High relaxivity; Contrast agents for MRI; PH stability
• Document Type: Article
• Language: English

Description

Gold nanoparticles functionalized with Gd3+ chelates displaying fast water exchange, superb pH stability and inertness towards transmetalation with Zn2+ have been prepared and characterized as a new high relaxivity (29 mM-1s-1, 30 MHz, 25 ºC) Contrast Agent potentially safe for in vivo MRI applications. The Lipari-Szabo treatment for internal rotation was used to evaluate the effect of linker flexibility on the relaxivity of the gold nanoparticles. The relaxivity is limited by chelate flexibility. The effect of fast water exchange on the relaxivity of gold nanoparticles functionalized with Gd3+ chelates is also addressed in this communication.