Low-Molecular-Weight Fe(III) Complexes for MRI Contrast Agents

Shangjun Chen; Lu An; Shiping Yang

doi:10.3390/molecules27144573

Low-Molecular-Weight Fe(III) Complexes for MRI Contrast Agents

Molecules. 2022 Jul 18;27(14):4573. doi: 10.3390/molecules27144573.

Authors

Shangjun Chen¹, Lu An², Shiping Yang^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Resource Chemistry of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Functional Materials, and Department of Chemistry, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 200234, China.
² Shanghai Municipal Education Committee Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging Probes and Sensors, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 200234, China.

Abstract

Fe(III) complexes have again attracted much attention for application as MRI contrast agents in recent years due to their high thermodynamic stability, low long-term toxicity, and large relaxivity at a higher magnetic field. This mini-review covers the recent progress on low-molecular-weight Fe(III) complexes, which have been considered as one of the promising alternatives to clinically used Gd(III)-based contrast agents. Two kinds of complexes including mononuclear Fe(III) complexes and multinuclear Fe(III) complexes are summarized in sequence, with a specific highlight of the structural relationships between the complexes and their relaxivity and thermodynamic stability. In additional, the future perspectives for the design of low-molecular-weight Fe(III) complexes for MRI contrast agents are suggested.

Keywords: Fe(III) complexes; MRI contrast agents; relaxivity; structure relationship; thermodynamic stability.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Contrast Media* / chemistry
Ferric Compounds*
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Thermodynamics

Substances

Contrast Media
Ferric Compounds

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding