A glycosylated complex of gadolinium, a new potential contrast agent for magnetic resonance angiography?

A new low-molecular weight dendrimer-like MRI contrast agent (Gd–D1) has been synthesized and characterized in vitro by proton and oxygen-17 relaxometry. Its pharmacokinetic parameters and biodistribution patterns were evaluated on rats. Its in vitro and in vivo properties, that is, the longitudinal relaxivity (defined as the increase of the water proton longitudinal relaxation rate induced by one millimole per liter of Gd–D1) equal to 5.6 s−1 mM−1 at 20 MHz and 310 K, the elimination half-time equal to 85 min, and its low accumulation in liver and spleen, underline its potential as a blood-pool MRI contrast agent. ©2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.