Paramagnetic
liposomes containing Fe(III) complexes were prepared
by incorporation of mononuclear (Fe(L1) or Fe(L3)) or dinuclear (Fe2(L2)) coordination complexes of 1,4,7-triazacyclononane macrocycles
containing 2-hydroxypropyl pendant groups. Two different types of
paramagnetic liposomes were prepared. The first type, LipoA, has the
mononuclear Fe(L1) complex loaded into the internal aqueous core.
The second type, LipoB, has the amphiphilic Fe(L3) complex inserted
into the liposomal bilayer and the internal aqueous core loaded with
either Fe(L1) (LipoB1) or Fe2(L2) (LipoB2). LipoA enhances
both T1 and T2 water proton relaxation rates.
Treatment of LipoA with osmotic gradients to produce a nonspherical
liposome produces a liposome with a chemical exchange saturation transfer
effect as shown by an asymmetry analysis but only at high osmolarity.
LipoB1, which contains an amphiphilic complex in the liposomal bilayer,
produced a broadened Z-spectrum upon treatment of the liposome with
osmotic gradients. The r
1 relaxivity of
LipoB1 and LipoB2 were higher than the r
1 relaxivity of LipoA on a per Fe basis, suggesting an important contribution
from the amphiphilic Fe(III) center. The r
1 relaxivities of paramagnetic liposomes are relatively constant over
a range of magnetic field strengths (1.4–9.4 T), with the ratio
of r
2/r
1 substantially
increasing at high field strengths. MRI studies of LipoB1 in mice
showed prolonged contrast enhancement in blood compared to the clinically
employed Gd(DOTA), which was injected at a 2-fold higher dose per
metal than the Fe(III)-loaded liposomes.