title: Gadofullerenes as nanoscale magnetic labels for cellular MRI.
abstract: In this study, anionic gadofullerene {Gd@C60[C(COOH)2](10)} was used as an in vitro cellular magnetic resonance imaging label. The cellular uptake characteristics of this gadofullerene were significant and nonspecific, and excellent labeling efficiency (98-100%) was achieved without a transfecting agent. The average uptake was up to 133.6 +/- 5.5 pg Gd per cell or 10(11) Gd3+ ions per cell. The difference in the longitudinal relaxation time T(1) between labeled and unlabeled cells generated good contrast between labeled and unlabeled cells. A clinical magnetic resonance imaging imager at 1.5 T showed that signal intensity on the T(1) weighted magnetic resonance images was 250% greater in labeled cells. Thus, the anionic gadofullerene {Gd@C60[C(COOH)2](10)} is an attractive candidate for ex vivo labeling and noninvasive in vivo tracking of any mammalian cell via magnetic resonance imaging.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, TX 77251-1892, USA.
authors.forename: Balaji
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sitharaman
authors.forename: Lesa A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Tran
authors.forename: Quynh P
authors.initials: QP
authors.lastname: Pham
authors.forename: Robert D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Bolskar
authors.forename: Raja
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Muthupillai
authors.forename: Scott D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Flamm
authors.forename: Antonios G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Mikos
authors.forename: Lon J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000838:Anions; D002470:Cell Survival; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020285:Cryoelectron Microscopy; D037741:Fullerenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008280:Magnetics; D051379:Mice; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D041681:NIH 3T3 Cells; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D014054:Tomography
chemical_list: D000838:Anions; D003287:Contrast Media; D037741:Fullerenes; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA