Simultaneous triple imaging with two PARASHIFT probes: encoding anatomical, pH and temperature information using magnetic resonance shift imaging

The chemical shift of paramagnetically shifted resonances in lanthanide(III) complexes encodes information about temperature and has also been made to report pH in parallel, through introduction of a single phosphonate group adjacent to the reporter tert-butyl resonance. The enhanced sensitivity of this new probe has allowed the simultaneous triple imaging of the water signal and the shifted tert-butyl signals of thulium and dysprosium complexes of a common ligand, separated by over 160 ppm. In parallel spectral imaging experiments, the temperature and pH dependence of the frequency of the Tm and Dy signals has been deconvoluted, allowing the pH and temperature in the liver, kidney and bladder to be measured.