Targeting of anionic membrane species by lanthanide(III) complexes: towards improved MRI contrast agents for apoptosis

No abstract available

Hybrid 2D Nanomaterials as Dual-mode Contrast Agents in Cellular Imaging

The design of multifunctional nanofluids is highly desirable for biomedical therapy/cellular imaging applications.[1–4] The emergence of hybrid nanomaterials with specific properties, such as magnetism and fluorescence, can lead to an understanding of biological processes at the biomolecular level.[1] Various hybrid systems have been analyzed in the recent past for several possible biomedical applications.[5–9] Carbon-based hybrid systems such as carbon nanotubes with various nanoparticles are being widely tested for their biological applications because of their ability to cross cell membranes and their interesting thermal and electrical properties.[10,11] Graphene oxide (GO) is a fairly new graphene-based system with a 2D carbon honeycomb lattice decorated with numerous functional groups attached to the backbone: these functional groups make it an excellent platform for further attachment of nanoparticles and synthesis of hybrid materials. Cell viability studies on GO have been recently attempted, showing biocompatibility. [12,13] Moreover, the intrinsic photoluminescence (PL) properties of GO can be utilized for cellular imaging.[13] The large surface area and non-covalent interactions with aromatic molecules make GO an excellent system for biomolecular applications and drug attachment

Synthesis and photophysical properties of iron-carbonyl complex-coumarin conjugates as potential bimodal IR-fluorescent probes

An expedient synthesis of the first examples of iron-carbonyl complex-coumarin conjugates is reported. 7-Amino/7-hydroxycoumarin derivatives have been readily derivatized through an easily implemented single-step reaction involving the tricarbonyl(η5-cyclohexadienyl)iron(1+) cation [(C6H7)Fe(CO)3]+. The scope and limitations of this N-/O-alkylation reaction were also investigated. The fluorescence properties of these novel metal-carbonyl complexes have been studied and support their further use as valuable building blocks in the design of bimodal contrast agents for combined vibrational and fluorescence imaging

Quantitative cardiovascular magnetic resonance for molecular imaging

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) molecular imaging aims to identify and map the expression of important biomarkers on a cellular scale utilizing contrast agents that are specifically targeted to the biochemical signatures of disease and are capable of generating sufficient image contrast. In some cases, the contrast agents may be designed to carry a drug payload or to be sensitive to important physiological factors, such as pH, temperature or oxygenation. In this review, examples will be presented that utilize a number of different molecular imaging quantification techniques, including measuring signal changes, calculating the area of contrast enhancement, mapping relaxation time changes or direct detection of contrast agents through multi-nuclear imaging or spectroscopy. The clinical application of CMR molecular imaging could offer far reaching benefits to patient populations, including early detection of therapeutic response, localizing ruptured atherosclerotic plaques, stratifying patients based on biochemical disease markers, tissue-specific drug delivery, confirmation and quantification of end-organ drug uptake, and noninvasive monitoring of disease recurrence. Eventually, such agents may play a leading role in reducing the human burden of cardiovascular disease, by providing early diagnosis, noninvasive monitoring and effective therapy with reduced side effects

Towards highly efficient and selective contrast agents for MRI

Abstract not availableApplied Science