A new class of intracellular contra
st agents (CA) for magnetic resonance imaging has been developed,based on Gd(DTPA) with two positively charged amide-linked sub
stituents. Uptake of Gd(DTPA) into culturedtumor cell lines (B16 mouse melanoma, MH3924A Morris hepatoma) was below the detection limit whileCA with the melanin-binding pharmacophore 2-(diethylamino)ethylamine reached intracellular concentrationsof ca. 0.03 fmol/cell (ca. 20
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
M) for melanoma and 0.02 fmol/cell for hepatoma (24 h at 10
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
M CA). Withthe polyamine sub
stituents bis(2-aminoethyl)amine or spermidine, CA uptake increased up to 3-fold formelanoma (0.083 fmol/cell) and 9-fold for hepatoma (0.18 fmol/cell). Uptake of polyamine-sub
stituted CAwas reduced by the polyamine transport inhibitor benzyl viologen. Molar relaxivities for three Gd-DTPA-polyamine complexes were in the range 5.6-6.9 for the free complex in solution and 7.7-23.5 s
-1 mM
-1for Morris hepatoma cell pellets.
T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging at 2.35 T of rats with MH3924Atumors showed contra
st enhancement in tumor at 1 and 24 h po
stinjection of polyamine-sub
stituted CA.