On 14 November 2023, the journal Analysis & Sensing issued online a Concept paper titled "How to develop bioresponsive MRI probes based on paramagnetic Gd(III) for in vivo applications". The work was done by Mrs. Ping Yue and Dr. Goran Angelovski from the International Center for Primate Brain Research, CEBSIT (CAS).
This Concept summarizes the recent and significant development achieved in the field of bioresponsive MRI contrast agents (CAs) based on paramagnetic Gd(III). These CAs have the potential to probe and understand the origin and principles of ongoing physiological and pathological processes at the molecular level by MRI, rather than observing their final effects. In this paper, we described the key parameters that influence the relaxation features of bioresponsive Gd(III)-based CAs and how they can be manipulated. We summarized the design strategies of CAs that can reversibly sense Ca(II), Zn(II), and amino acid neurotransmitters in vivo and described how the presence of key structural motifs can lead to changes in the relaxation and hence the MRI signal after binding to the analyte. We listed the most exciting examples of small- and nanosized probes that were reported in the literature to date, which showed their great potential in various ex vivo and in vivo experiments, unambiguously correlating MR signal change with a biological event under investigation. Finally, we provided a pertinent analysis of the challenges that still exist for the practical application of bioresponsive CAs. This work provides valuable insights into visualizing physiological or pathological processes through bioresponsive MRI contrast agents.
This figure illustrates the major topic of this Concept article, in specific the MRI-active, Gd(III) complexes responsive to Ca(II), Zn(II), and amino acid neurotransmitters, and their bright outlook for the use in functional molecular imaging applications.
This work was funded by the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Major Project, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
Article: Yue, P., Angelovski, G. How to develop bioresponsive MRI probes based on paramagnetic Gd(III) for in vivo applications. Analysis & Sensing. (2023) 3, e202300019.
Link to read the paper online:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/author/5KXBWJ8WFAPPJVARITVZ?target=10.1002/anse.202300019