Gadolinium-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid conjugate of arabinogalactan as a potential liver-targeting magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent.

A novel biocompatible macromolecule (AG-CM-EDA-DOTA-Gd) was synthesized as a liver magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent. AG-CM-EDA-DOTA-Gd consisted of a carboxymethyl-arabinogalactan unit conjugated with gadolinium-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (Gd-DOTA) via ethylenediamine, and was specifically designed to bind to hepatocyte asialoglycoprotein in vivo, in an effort to develop a potential new tool for the diagnosis of liver diseases. The T1-relaxivity (8.87mmol(-1)Ls(-1)) of AG-CM-EDA-DOTA-Gd was 1.86 times than that of Gd-DOTA (4.76mmol(-1)Ls(-1)) in D2O at 9.4 T and 25°C. MRI experiments showed significant enhancement in rat liver following the intravenous administration of AG-CM-EDA-DOTA-Gd (0.094mmol Gd(3+)/kg body weight), which persisted for longer than Gd-DOTA (0.098mmol Gd(3+)/kg body weight). The mean percentage enhancements in the liver parenchyma were 85.2±6.5% and 19.3±3.3% for AG-CM-EDA-DOTA-Gd and Gd-DOTA, respectively. The results of this study therefore indicate that AG-CM-EDA-DOTA-Gd could be used as a potential liver-targeting contrast agent for MRI.