Synthesis and study on magnetic resonance imaging performance of Gd(III)-DTPA-bisfuran-2-carbohydrazide as a potential MRI contrast agent

ABSTRACTOne novel ligand, diethylenetriamine-N, N“-bi(acetyl-furan-2-carbohydrazide)-N, N′, N”-triacetic acid (H3L), has been synthesized in high yield by the reaction of bicyclic anhydride of diethylenetraiaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) with furan-2-carbohydrazide. It has three carboxylic groups, and the corresponding nonion complex of Gd(III)-L holding promise of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was obtained by treating these ligand with Gd2O3 in water. The efficacy of the contrast agent was assessed by measuring the longitudinal relaxivity (r1) and T1 weighted magnetic resonance imaging in vitro. The r1 of Gd(III)-DTPA-bisfuran-2-carbohydrazide was up to 5.92 mM−1·s−1, which was 1.27 times higher than that of the analogous MRI contrast agent Gd(III)-DTPA(4.65 mM−1·s−1) in clinical application. T1 weighted magnetic resonance imaging in vitro showed that proton signal intensity increased with Gd(III) complex concentration and the imaging effect of Gd(III)-DTPA-bisfuran-2-carbohydrazide was superior to that...