Abstract Metronidazole and nimorazole are antibiotics of a nitroimidazole group which also may be potentially utilized as hypoxia radiosensitizers for the treatment of cancerous tumors. Hyperpolarization of15N nuclei in these compounds using SABRE‐SHEATH (Signal Amplification By Reversible Exchange in SHield Enables Alignment Transfer to Heteronuclei) approach provides dramatic enhancement of detection sensitivity of these analytes using magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging. Methanol‐d4is conventionally employed as a solvent in SABRE hyperpolarization process. Herein, we investigate SABRE‐SHEATH hyperpolarization of isotopically labeled [15N3]metronidazole and [15N3]nimorazole in nondeuterated methanol and ethanol solvents. Optimization of such hyperpolarization parameters as polarization transfer magnetic field, temperature, parahydrogen flow rate and pressure allowed us to obtain an average15N polarization of up to 7.2–7.4 % for both substrates. The highest15N polarizations were observed in methanol‐d4for [15N3]metronidazole and in ethanol for [15N3]nimorazole. At a clinically relevant magnetic field of 1.4 T the15N nuclei of these substrates possess long characteristic hyperpolarization lifetimes (T1) of ca. 1 to ca. 7 min. This study represents a major step toward SABRE in more biocompatible solvents, such as ethanol, and also paves the way for future utilization of these hyperpolarized nitroimidazoles as molecular contrast agents for MRI visualization of tumors. 
                        more » 
                        « less   
                    
                            
                            15 N-Azides as practical and effective tags for developing long-lived hyperpolarized agents
                        
                    
    
            Azide moieties, unique linear species containing three nitrogen atoms, represent an attractive class of molecular tag for hyperpolarized magnetic resonance imaging (HP-MRI). Here we demonstrate ( 15 N) 3 -azide-containing molecules exhibit long-lasting hyperpolarization lifetimes up to 9.8 min at 1 T with remarkably high polarization levels up to 11.6% in water, thus establishing ( 15 N) 3 -azide as a powerful spin storage for hyperpolarization. A single ( 15 N)-labeled azide has also been examined as an effective alternative tag with long-lived hyperpolarization. A variety of biologically important molecules are studied in this work, including choline, glucose, amino acid, and drug derivatives, demonstrating great potential of 15 N-labeled azides as universal hyperpolarized tags for nuclear magnetic resonance imaging applications. 
        more » 
        « less   
        
    
                            - Award ID(s):
- 1665090
- PAR ID:
- 10310162
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Chemical Science
- Volume:
- 12
- Issue:
- 42
- ISSN:
- 2041-6520
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
- 
            
- 
            Abstract NMR hyperpolarization techniques enhance nuclear spin polarization by several orders of magnitude resulting in corresponding sensitivity gains. This enormous sensitivity gain enables new applications ranging from studies of small molecules by using high‐resolution NMR spectroscopy to real‐time metabolic imagingin vivo. Several hyperpolarization techniques exist for hyperpolarization of a large repertoire of nuclear spins, although the13C and15N sites of biocompatible agents are the key targets due to their widespread use in biochemical pathways. Moreover, their longT1allows hyperpolarized states to be retained for up to tens of minutes. Signal amplification by reversible exchange (SABRE) is a low‐cost and ultrafast hyperpolarization technique that has been shown to be versatile for the hyperpolarization of15N nuclei. Although large sensitivity gains are enabled by hyperpolarization,15N natural abundance is only ∼0.4 %, so isotopic labeling of the molecules to be hyperpolarized is required in order to take full advantage of the hyperpolarized state. Herein, we describe selected advances in the preparation of15N‐labeled compounds with the primary emphasis on using these compounds for SABRE polarization in microtesla magnetic fields through spontaneous polarization transfer from parahydrogen. Also, these principles can certainly be applied for hyperpolarization of these emerging contrast agents using dynamic nuclear polarization and other techniques.more » « less
- 
            Abstract Signal Amplification by Reversible Exchange (SABRE) technique enables nuclear spin hyperpolarization of wide range of compounds using parahydrogen. Here we present the synthetic approach to prepare15N‐labeled [15N]dalfampridine (4‐amino[15N]pyridine) utilized as a drug to reduce the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. The synthesized compound was hyperpolarized using SABRE at microtesla magnetic fields (SABRE‐SHEATH technique) with up to 2.0 %15N polarization. The 7‐hour‐long activation of SABRE pre‐catalyst [Ir(IMes)(COD)Cl] in the presence of [15N]dalfampridine can be remedied by the use of pyridine co‐ligand for catalyst activation while retaining the15N polarization levels of [15N]dalfampridine. The effects of experimental conditions such as polarization transfer magnetic field, temperature, concentration, parahydrogen flow rate and pressure on15N polarization levels of free and equatorial catalyst‐bound [15N]dalfampridine were investigated. Moreover, we studied15N polarization build‐up and decay at magnetic field of less than 0.04 μT as well as15N polarization decay at the Earth's magnetic field and at 1.4 T.more » « less
- 
            Abstract Hyperpolarization is a technique that can increase nuclear spin polarization with the corresponding gains in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals by 4–8 orders of magnitude. When this process is applied to biologically relevant samples, the hyperpolarized molecules can be used as exogenous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents. A technique called spin‐exchange optical pumping (SEOP) can be applied to hyperpolarize noble gases such as129Xe. Techniques based on hyperpolarized129Xe are poised to revolutionize clinical lung imaging, offering a non‐ionizing, high‐contrast alternative to computed tomography (CT) imaging and conventional proton MRI. Moreover, CT and conventional proton MRI report on lung tissue structure but provide little functional information. On the other hand, when a subject breathes hyperpolarized129Xe gas, functional lung images reporting on lung ventilation, perfusion and diffusion with 3D readout can be obtained in seconds. In this Review, the physics of SEOP is discussed and the different production modalities are explained in the context of their clinical application. We also briefly compare SEOP to other hyperpolarization methods and conclude this paper with the outlook for biomedical applications of hyperpolarized129Xe to lung imaging and beyond.more » « less
- 
            Abstract We report dissolution Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (d‐DNP) of [15N3]metronidazole ([15N3]MNZ) for the first time. Metronidazole is a clinically approved antibiotic, which can be potentially employed as a hypoxia‐sensing molecular probe using15N hyperpolarized (HP) nucleus. The DNP process is very efficient for [15N3]MNZ with an exponential build‐up constant of 13.8 min using trityl radical. After dissolution and sample transfer to a nearby 4.7 T Magnetic Resonance Imaging scanner, HP [15N3]MNZ lasted remarkably long with T1values up to 343 s and15N polarizations up to 6.4 %. A time series of HP [15N3]MNZ images was acquired in vitro using a steady state free precession sequence on the15NO2peak. The signal lasted over 13 min with notably long T2of 20.5 s. HP [15N3]MNZ was injected in the tail vein of a healthy rat, and dynamic spectroscopy was performed over the rat brain. The in vivo HP15N signals persisted over 70 s, demonstrating an unprecedented opportunity for in vivo studies.more » « less
 An official website of the United States government
An official website of the United States government 
				
			 
					 
					
 
                                    