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We have engineered apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I), a major protein constituent of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), to contain DOTA-chelated Gd(III) as an MRI contrast agent for the purpose of imaging reconstituted HDL (rHDL) biodistribution, metabolism and regulation in vivo. This protein contrast agent was obtained by attaching the thiol-reactive Gd[MTS-ADO3A] label at Cys residues replaced at four distinct positions (52, 55, 76 and 80) in apoA-I. MRI of infused mice previously showed that the Gd-labeled apoA-I migrates to both the liver and the kidney, the organs responsible for HDL catabolism; however, the contrast properties of apoA-I are superior when the ADO3A moiety is located at position 55, compared with the protein labeled at positions 52, 76 or 80. It is shown here that continuous wave X-band (9 GHz) electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy is capable of detecting differences in the Gd(III) signal when comparing the labeled protein in the lipid-free with the rHDL state. Furthermore, the values of NMR relaxivity obtained for labeled variants in both the lipid-free and rHDL states correlate to the product of the X-band Gd(III) spectral width and the collision frequency between a nitroxide spin label and a polar relaxation agent. Consistent with its superior relaxivity measured by NMR, the rHDL-associated apoA-I containing the Gd[MTS-ADO3A] probe attached to position 55 displays favorable dynamic and water accessibility properties as determined by X-band EPR. While room temperature EPR requires >1 m m Gd(III)-labeled and only >10 µ m nitroxide-labeled protein to resolve the spectrum, the volume requirement is exceptionally low (~5 µl). Thus, X-band EPR provides a practical assessment for the suitability of imaging candidates containing the site-directed ADO3A contrast probe., (Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

This paper reports on the synthesis and relaxivity properties of tetraacetic DOTA-type chelating agents featuring one or two alkyne groups directly grafted on the tetraaza macrocyclic ring and available for "click" reactions with azide-bearing substrates. The racemic DOTAma ligand bearing one alkyne group was obtained by a bisaminal template route. The same approach was used to prepare ligand DOTAda substituted by two alkyne groups located on two adjacent carbon atoms. The S,S enantiomer of DOTAda was also prepared by a "crab-like" condensation. This ligand is the first example of a DOTA derivative featuring two reactive functions adjacent to each other on the macrocyclic ring. A triacetic monoalkyne ligand (DO3ma) was also synthesized for comparison purposes. NMR studies indicate that the Yb(III) chelates of DOTAma and DOTAda adopt two conformations in solutions in which the tetraaza ring is rigidified. The hydration state of the Eu(III) chelates was determined by luminescence spectroscopy, and the water exchange time of the Gd(III) complexes was measured by (17)O NMR. Ring substitution accelerates the water exchange. These data were used to interpret nuclear magnetic relaxation dispersion curves of the Gd(III) chelates. Two long aliphatic chains have been added to DOTAda by a "click" procedure to form the (C18)(2)DOTAda ligand. The corresponding Gd(III) complex forms micelles of unusually high relaxivity presumably because of the close proximity of the aliphatic chains on the macrocyclic ring that ensures a rigid double anchoring into the micelles.

The synthesis, lanthanide complexation, and solvent extraction of actinide(III) and lanthanide(III) radiotracers from nitric acid solutions by a phenanthroline-derived quadridentate bis-triazine ligand are described. The ligand separates Am(III) and Cm(III) from the lanthanides with remarkably high efficiency, high selectivity, and fast extraction kinetics compared to its 2,2'-bipyridine counterpart. Structures of the 1:2 bis-complexes of the ligand with Eu(III) and Yb(III) were elucidated by X-ray crystallography and force field calculations, respectively. The Eu(III) bis-complex is the first 1:2 bis-complex of a quadridentate bis-triazine ligand to be characterized by crystallography. The faster rates of extraction were verified by kinetics measurements using the rotating membrane cell technique in several diluents. The improved kinetics of metal ion extraction are related to the higher surface activity of the ligand at the phase interface. The improvement in the ligand's properties on replacing the bipyridine unit with a phenanthroline unit far exceeds what was anticipated based on ligand design alone.

Coronary disease risk increases inversely with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) level. The measurement of the biodistribution and clearance of HDL in vivo, however, has posed a technical challenge. This study presents an approach to the development of a lipoprotein MRI agent by linking gadolinium methanethiosulfonate (Gd[MTS-ADO3A]) to a selective cysteine mutation in position 55 of apo AI, the major protein of HDL. The contrast agent targets both liver and kidney, the sites of HDL catabolism, whereas the standard MRI contrast agent, gadolinium-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid-bismethylamide (GdDTPA-BMA, gadodiamide), enhances only the kidney image. Using a modified apolipoprotein AI to create an HDL contrast agent provides a new approach to investigate HDL biodistribution, metabolism and regulation in vivo., (Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

The new ligand 6,6''-bis(5,5,8,8-tetramethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-1,2,4-benzotriazin-3-yl)-2,2':6',2''-terpyridine (CyMe4-BTTP) has been synthesized in 4 steps from 2,2':6',2''-terpyridine. Detailed NMR and mass spectrometry studies indicate that the ligand forms 1:2 complexes with lanthanide(III) perchlorates where the aliphatic rings are conformationally constrained whereas 1:1 complexes are formed with lanthanide(III) nitrates where the rings are conformationally mobile. An optimized structure of the 1:2 solution complex with Yb(III) was obtained from the relative magnitude of the induced paramagnetic shifts. X-Ray crystallographic structures of the ligand and of its 1:1 complex with Y(III) were also obtained. The NMR and mass spectra of [Pd(CyMe4-BTTP)]n(2n+) are consistent with a dinuclear double helical structure (n = 2). In the absence of a phase-modifier, CyMe4-BTTP in n-octanol showed a maximum distribution coefficient of Am(III) of 0.039 (±20%) and a maximum separation factor of Am(III) over Eu(III) of 12.0 from nitric acid. The metal(III) cations are extracted as the 1:1 complex from nitric acid. The generally low distribution coefficients observed compared with the BTBPs arise because the 1:1 complex of CyMe4-BTTP is considerably less hydrophobic than the 1:2 complexes formed by the BTBPs. In M(BTTP)(3+) complexes, there is a competition between the nitrate ions and the ligand for the complexation of the metal.

Calix[4]arenes substituted by four urea functions are self-complementary molecules that spontaneously combine in apolar solvents in the presence of an ammonium salt to form dimeric capsules held together by a belt of hydrogen bonds. In the presence of tetraethylammonium salts, the Et4N+ cation is included as a guest. The sorting between dimeric capsules formed in a mixture of calix[4]arenes directly depends on the steric crowding of the substituents grafted on the urea groups whether aromatic derivatives or aliphatic chains linking urea functions in mono-, di-, or tetraloop structures. Simple rules allow one to anticipate which capsules will be exclusively formed when calix[4]arenes are mixed in different proportions. The stabilization of the dimeric structures by hydrogen bonds is thwarted by the overlaps of aliphatic loops and/or by bulky groups that cannot pass through these loops. Despite the structural similarity of the calixarenes, the exclusive formation of dimers of well-defined compositions and clear titration breaks are observed by electrospray mass spectrometry. This technique yields reliable information on stoichiometries and composition despite measurements in the gas phase rather than in solution and it does not suffer from excessive peak overlaps in contrast with NMR.

The gadolinium(III) complex with a new DOTA-based ligand bearing a methanethiosulfonate group (MTS) was synthesized and its relaxivity properties were investigated. MTS-ADO3A is a triacid DOTA derivative with an amide arm substituted by an ethylmethanethiosulfonate function. This ligand was obtained in two steps: tri-tert-butyl 2,2',2''-(1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7-triyl)triacetate was reacted with S-(2-aminoethyl)methanesulfonothioate and the tert-butyl groups were removed with trifluoroacetic acid. The Gd(III) MTS-ADO3A complex readily formed disulfide bonds with albumin (BSA) in its native and reduced forms and with thiolated silica particles. Four- to five-fold relaxivity increases at 20 MHz were measured on the isolated adducts. The EuMTS-ADO3A chelate was found to be monohydrated by fluorescence and the relaxivity parameters of the Gd(III) complex were obtained by (17)O NMR and by measuring the nuclear magnetic relaxation dispersion between 0.01 and 80 MHz. The water exchange time tau(m) is increased upon forming disulfide bonds with macromolecules and particles and the relaxivity gains of all the complexes are limited by the tau(m) factor. Forming covalent or hydrophobic/electrostatic bonds with BSA seems to bring about similar relaxivity changes but the covalent BSA adducts can be isolated and their properties can be directly studied. The addition of dithiothreitol or glutathione leads to the removal of the metal chelates from the macromolecules, as indicated by the relaxation times reverting to their values before binding. It is thus expected that the chelate will stay in the body long enough for imaging but will still be excreted through the kidneys., (Copyright 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

PhenHDO3A is a ditopic ligand featuring a tetraazacyclododecane unit substituted by three acetate arms and one 6-hydroxy-5,6-dihydro-1,10-phenanthroline group (PhenHDO3A = rel-10-[(5R,6R)-5,6-dihydro-6-hydroxy-1,10-phenantholin-5-yl)-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7-triacetic acid). This ligand was specially designed so as to obtain highly stable heteropolymetallic assemblies. PhenHDO3A has been prepared starting from phenanthroline epoxide and either a triprotected tetraazacyclododecane or tert-butyl triester of N,N',N' '-tetraazacyclododecane-triacetic acid. The latter yields PhenHDO3A in a single step. PhenHDO3A forms kinetically stable lanthanide complexes (acid-catalyzed kinetic constant kH = (1.2 +/- 0.2) x 10(-3) s(-1) M(-1)) whose solution structure has been deduced from a quantitative analysis of the paramagnetic shifts and the longitudinal relaxation times of the proton nuclei of YbPhenHDO3A. The alcohol group of the dihydro-phenanthroline unit remains coordinated to the encapsulated metal ion despite the steric crowding brought about by this group. Furthermore, the complexes are monohydrated, as shown by luminescence lifetime measurements on EuPhenHDO3A solutions. Relaxivity titrations at 20 MHz clearly indicate that the phenanthroline unit of GdPhenHDO3A is available for the spontaneous formation of highly stable tris complexes with the Fe2+ and Ni2+ ions. The water-exchange times and the rotational correlation times of GdPhenHDO3A and Fe(GdPhenHDO3A)32+ have been deduced from variable temperature 17O NMR studies and from nuclear relaxation dispersion curves. Despite rather slow water-exchange rates (taum0 = 1.0-1.2 x 10(-6) s), relaxivity gains of 90% have been observed upon the formation of the heterometallic tris complexes. The latter rotate about four times more slowly (taur0= 398 ps) than the monomeric unit (taur0 = 105 ps) and their relaxivity is, accordingly, twice as high. The relaxivity of the tris complexes between 10 and 50 MHz is comparable to relaxivities reported for Gd3+-containing dendrimers of much higher molecular weights. The high relaxivity of the tris-PhenHDO3A lanthanide complexes is attributed to their internal rigidity.

Two different strategies were used to synthesize tri(2-alkoxy-5-nitrophenyl)methanes 6a,b. The X-ray structures of 6a and its precursor 5 show the molecules in a conformation with a syn-orientation of the nitro and alkoxy groups. Hydrogenation and acylation by the appropriate active ester gave the corresponding tri-CMPO derivatives 4a,b. Their ability to complex lanthanide ions was studied by NMR spectroscopy and by nuclear magnetic relaxation dispersion and further characterized by quantum mechanical calculations. Extraction experiments from acidic solution to dichloromethane reveal a reasonable selectivity of Am(III) over Eu(III), but in contrast to similar tetra-CMPOs derivatives of calix[4]arenes the distribution coefficients strongly decrease with increasing concentration of HNO(3).

Two calix[4]arene tetraethers (Y = C5H11, C14H29) bearing on their wide rim four -N(Me)-CO-CH2-P(O)Ph2 residues were synthesized for the first time. Their ability to extract lanthanides and actinides from an acidic aqueous phase to organic phases (CH2Cl2, NPHE) was studied. In comparison to the corresponding -NH-analogs, they are less efficient extractants, the selectivity for the light over the heavy lanthanides is less pronounced, while there is still an interesting selectivity of Am3+ over Eu3+. Stability constants for selected lanthanide salts were determined also in homogenous phase (methanol, acetonitrile) but do not account for the different extraction results. The complexation of Gd3+ was also followed by relaxivity (NM RD) measurements, which suggest an even stronger aggregation for the N-methyl compound while the 1:1 complex is reached for a smaller ratio [L]/[Gd3+] compared to the NH analog. The formation of aggregates is also supported by dynamic light scattering measurements. A single crystal X-ray structure of the pentyl ether reveals a C2-symmetrical pinched cone conformation for the free ligand.

M4DOTA, [(2S,5S,8S,11S)-4,7,10-tris-carboxymethyl-2,5,8,11-tetramethyl-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecan-1-yl]acetic acid (2e), and M4DOTMA, (R)-2-[(2S,5S,8S,11S)-4,7,10-tris-((R)-1-carboxyethyl)-2,5,8,11-tetramethyl-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecan-1-yl]propionic acid (3e), are derivatives of ligand DOTA (1e) that form sterically crowded lanthanide chelates. M4DOTMA forms highly symmetric and totally rigid single Y(3+) and Yb(3+) species in which the ring substituents occupy corner positions in a square antiprismatic arrangement as shown by molecular mechanics calculations and by a quantitative interpretation of the relative magnitudes of the paramagnetic (1)H NMR shifts of dipolar origin. The NMR spectrum of YbM4DOTMA(-) displays two intense methyl peaks outside the 0-10 ppm range whose shift difference is strongly temperature dependent. YbM4DOTMA(-) (3d) could be a useful probe in magnetic resonance thermometric imaging. With only four methyl substituents on the tetraaza ring, M4DOTA forms three Yb(3+) species in solution. The methyl substituents prevent the inversion of configuration of the ethylenic groups but not of the acetate arms. Although the methyl groups are likely to preferably occupy ring corner positions, the dipolar equations do not allow one to distinguish with certainty between the two available corner (equatorial) orientations. Reliably applying the dipolar equations is less obvious than usually assumed. A single methyl substituent as in ligand MDOTA (5e) suffices to rigidify the tetraaza cycle but not the acetate arms. Racemic YbMDOTA(-) (5d) is present in solution as four totally asymmetric topomers with the methyl groups occupying either one of the two equatorial positions. A complete assignment of the solution structures on the basis of the dipolar equations is again uncertain. The nuclear magnetic relaxation dispersion curves of the Gd(3+) chelates of all the methylated DOTA ligands including DOTMA, (R)-2-[4,7,10-tris-((R)-carboxyethyl)- 1,4,7,10- tetraazacyclododecan-1-yl]propionic acid, are very similar, and intermolecular conformational processes appear to have no influence on the relaxivity of these small complexes for which the relaxation T(1) is mainly determined by the rotational correlation time (tau(r)). The hydration number of the Tb(3+) chelates measured by fluorescence decreases from DOTMA to M4DOTMA presumably because steric crowding leads to an increase of the metal-water distance.

This work describes the synthesis and the conformational properties of new polymethylated macrocyclic ligands of potential interest for magnetic resonance imaging. M4cyclen, (2S,5S,8S,11S)-2,5,8,11-tetramethyl-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane, was obtained by cyclotetramerization of (2S)-1-benzyl-2-methylaziridine followed by catalytic hydrogenation. The ligands M4DOTA, [(2S,5S,8S,11S)-4,7,10-tris-carboxymethyl-2,5,8,11-tetramethyl- 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecan-1-yl]acetic acid, and M4DOTMA, (R)-2-[(2S,5S,8S,11S)-4,7,10-tris-((R)-1-carboxyethyl)-2,5,8,11-tetramethyl-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecan-1-yl]propionic acid, were prepared by carboxyalkylation of M4cyclen in the presence of Na(2)CO(3). The triacetic ligand M4DO3A, [(2S,5S,8S,11S)-4,7-bis-carboxymethyl-2,5,8,11-tetramethyl-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecan-1-yl]acetic acid, was obtained in good yields without traces of M4DOTA if NaHCO(3) was the acid scavenger when adding the carboxylic arms. In the same conditions, cyclen yielded M4DOTA in 82% yield. The difference between the reactivity of cyclen and M4cyclen is assigned to the high basicity of the substituted tetraamine as estimated by NMR titration. The one- and two-dimensional (1)H and (13)C NMR spectra of M4DOTA and M4DOTMA in the H(4)L or H(6)L(2+) forms are interpreted as arising from a slow exchange between two elongated geometries in which the methyl substituents are in one of the two possible equatorial-like positions, either close to or away from the carboxylic arms. The axial-like positions are sterically too crowded and cannot be occupied by the methyl groups. An elongated conformation is also adopted by DOTMA, (R)-2-[4,7,10-tris-((R)-carboxyethyl)-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecan-1-yl]propionic acid, in the H(6)L(2+) form. The rigidification of the polymethylated ligands allows a detailed NMR analysis that cannot be carried out on the parent unsubstituted ligand DOTA.

In the crystal structure of the title compound, C(9)H(14)N(2)O(3), the molecules are linked by N-H.O=C bonds into chains parallel to [001]. Large crystals are readily obtained, presumably because of the hydrogen bonds and an energetically stable conformation of the molecule.

Conformationally rigidified tetraCMPO derivatives have been prepared from calix[4]arene bis(crown ether) 4a in which adjacent oxygens are bridged at the narrow rim by two diethylene glycol links. Acylation of the tetraamine 4c with the CMPO-active ester 5b gave the tetraphosphine oxide 6a, while the tetraphosphinate 6b and the tetraphosphonate 6c were obtained by Arbuzov reaction of tetrabromoacetamido derivative 7 with PhP(OEt)2 or P(OEt)3. The extraction ability of these CMPO derivatives was checked for selected lanthanides and actinides and compared with the analogous compounds 1b, 10b and 10d derived from calix[4]arene tetrapentyl ether. All rigidified bis(crown ether) ligands are more effective extractants than their pentyl ether counterparts and require only 1/10 of the concentration (cL= 10 4M) to obtain the same distribution coefficients, while with CMPO itself a 2,000-fold concentration is necessary. This could be a consequence of a better preorganisation of the ligating functions owing to the rigidity which on the other hand did not change the observed selectivity for americium (DAm/DEu=9-19) and for light lanthanides over heavy ones. NMR relaxivity titration curves show that the complex of Gd3+ with ligand 6a is highly oligomerised in anhydrous acetonitrile over a large range of ligand:metal concentration ratios. Nuclear magnetic relaxation dispersion (NMRD) profiles also showed that large oligomers were formed, and their mean tumbling times were deduced from the Solomon-Bloembergen-Morgan equations. The NMR spectra of dia- and paramagnetic lanthanide complexes with 6a agreed with the presence of two conformers with an elongated calix[4]arene skeleton in which the distances between opposite methylene groups are different. Contrary to what was observed with ligand 2a, the addition of nitrate ions does not labilize the metal complexes, presumably because of the rigidification effect of the ether bridges. Single-crystal X-ray structures were obtained for the active ester 5b and for diphenylphosphorylacetic acid 5a.

The lanthanide and Th4+ complexes with calix[4]arene ligands substituted either on the narrow or at the wide rim by four coordinating groups behave totally differently as shown by an NMR investigation of the dia- and paramagnetic complexes. Solutions of complexes were prepared by reacting anhydrous metal perchlorate salts with the ligands in dry acetonitrile (CAUTION). Relaxation time T1 titrations of acetonitrile solutions of Gd3+ by calixarenes indicate that ligands subsituted on the narrow rim form stable 1:1 complexes whether they feature four amide groups (1) or four phosphine oxide functions. In contrast, a ligand substituted by four (carbamoylmethyl)-diphenylphosphine oxide moieties on the wide rim (3) and its derivatives from polymeric species even at a 1:1 ligand/metal concentration ratio. Nuclear magnetic relaxation dispersion (NMRD) curves (relaxation rates 1/T1 vs magnetic field strength) of Gd3+, Gd3+.1 and Gd3+.3 perchlorates in acetonitrile are analyzed by an extended version of the Solomon-Bloembergen-Morgan equations. A comparison of the calculated rotational correlation times tau r shows that ligand 3 forms oligomeric Gd3+ species. The chelates of ligand 1 are axially symmetric (C4 symmetry), and the paramagnetic shifts induced by the Yb3+ ion are accounted for quantitatively. The addition of water or of nitrate ions does not modify the geometry of the complex. The metal chelates of 3 and its derivatives adopt a C2 symmetry, and the paramagnetic shifts are interpreted on a semiquantitative basis only. Water and NO3- ions completely labilize the complexes of the heavy lanthanides. The very high selectivity of ligand 3 through the lanthanide series stems from a complex interplay of factors.

The solution behavior of the Th(IV) chelate with a polyaza polycarboxylic ligand, HEHA (1,4,7,10,13,16-hexaazacyclooctadecane-N,N ',N ",N "',N "",N ""'-hexaacetic acid), is investigated by one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy. [Th(HEHA)](2)(-) exhibits a very unusual irreversible topomerization process from a kinetically stable topomer of C(2) symmetry to a thermodynamically stable topomer of remarkably high symmetry (S(6)). The metal ion appears to be 12-coordinated in both geometries with a pseudoicosahedral arrangement of the chelating groups. The activation energy of the irreversible topomerization is exceedingly high (199 kJ.mol(-)(1)), and the slow kinetics of conversion is assigned to a complete reorganization of the chelate. U(IV) forms directly a stable entity of C(2) symmetry with HEHA and no reorganization of the complex is observed. The unusual topomerization phenomenon undergone by HEHA, is thus strongly dependant on the ionic radius of the encapsulated metal ion. The corresponding lanthanide chelates are totally asymmetric.

This paper presents the views of a coordination chemist on the synthesis and the properties of new contrast agents containing gadolinium. Attention is drawn to various macrocyclic complexes such as the polyaza polycarboxylic chelates, the cryptates as well as compounds obtained by template synthesis. The structural factors influencing the kinetic and thermodynamic stability of the gadolinium complexes are discussed with special emphasis on the polyaza polycarboxylic derivatives. Some of the macrocyclic complexes under investigation are more stable than Gd-DTPA.