The manganese(II) ion has many favorable properties that lead to its potential use as an MRI contrast agent: highspin number, long electronic relaxation time, labile water exchange. The present work describes the design, synthesis,and evaluation of a novel Mn(II) complex (
MnL1) based on EDTA and also contains a moiety that noncovalentlybinds the complex to serum albumin, the same moiety used in the gadolinium based contrast agent MS-325.Ultrafiltration albumin binding measurements (0.1 mM, pH 7.4, 37
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C) indicated that the complex binds well toplasma proteins (rabbit: 96 ± 2% bound, human: 93 ± 2% bound), and most likely to serum albumin (rabbit: 89± 2% bound, human 98 ± 2% bound). Observed relaxivities (± 5%) of the complex were measured (20 MHz, 37
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C, 0.1 mM, pH 7.4) in HEPES buffer (
r1 = 5.8 mM
-1 s
-1), rabbit plasma (
r1 = 51 mM
-1 s
-1), human plasma (
r1= 46 mM
-1 s
-1), 4.5% rabbit serum albumin (
r1 = 47 mM
-1 s
-1), and 4.5% human serum albumin (
r1 = 48 mM
-1s
-1). The water exchange rate was near optimal for an MRI contrast agent (
k298 = 2.3 ± 0.9 × 10
8 s
-1). Variabletemperature NMRD profiles indicated that the high relaxivity was due to slow tumbling of the albumin-bound complexand fast exchange of the inner sphere water. The concept of a high relaxivity Mn(II)-based contrast agent wasvalidated by imaging at 1.5T. In a rabbit model of carotid artery injury,
MnL1 clearly delineated both arteries andveins while also distinguishing between healthy tissue and regions of vessel damage.