Assessment of the Relaxation-Enhancing Properties of a Nitroxide-Based Contrast Agent TEEPO-Glc with In Vivo Magnetic Resonance Imaging

• Main Authors: Maiju Soikkeli, Mikko I. Kettunen, Riikka Nivajärvi, Venla Olsson, Seppo Rönkkö, Johanna P. Laakkonen, Vesa-Pekka Lehto, Jari Kavakka, Sami Heikkinen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hindawi-Wiley 2019-01-01
• Series: Contrast Media & Molecular Imaging
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/5629597

Magnetic resonance imaging examinations are frequently carried out using contrast agents to improve the image quality. Practically all clinically used contrast agents are based on paramagnetic metals and lack in selectivity and specificity. A group of stable organic radicals, nitroxides, has raised interest as new metal-free contrast agents for MRI. Their structures can easily be modified to incorporate different functionalities. In the present study, a stable nitroxide TEEPO (2,2,6,6-tetraethylpiperidin-1-oxyl) was linked to a glucose moiety (Glc) to construct a water-soluble, potentially tumor-targeting compound with contrast-enhancing ability. The ability was assessed with in vivo MRI experiments. The constructed TEEPO-Glc agent proved to shorten the T1 relaxation time in tumor, while the T1 time in healthy brain tissue remained the same. The results indicate the potential of TEEPO-Glc as a valuable addition to the growing field of metal-free contrast enhancement in MRI-based diagnostics.