Silica microparticles as a solid support for gadolinium phosphonate magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents.

ABSTRACT: Particle-based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents have been the focus of recent studies, primarily due to the possibility of preparing multimodal particles capable of simultaneously targeting, imaging, and treating specific biological tissues in vivo. In addition, particle-based MRI contrast agents often have greater sensitivity than commercially available, soluble agents due to decreased molecular tumbling rates following surface immobilization, leading to increased relaxivities. Mesoporous silica particles are particularly attractive substrates due to their large internal surface areas. In this study, we immobilized a unique phosphonate-containing ligand onto mesoporous silica particles with a range of pore diameters, pore volumes, and surface areas, and Gd(III) ions were t

SUBMITTER: Duncan AK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3403734 | biostudies-literature | 2012 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature