Rigid and Compact Binuclear Bis-hydrated Gd-complexes as High Relaxivity MRI Agents

The first binuclear Gd-complex of the 12-membered pyridine-based polyaminocarboxylate macrocyclic ligand PCTA was synthesized by C−C connection of the pyridine units through two different synthetic procedures. A dimeric AAZTA-ligand was also synthesized with the aim to compare the relaxometric results or the two ditopic Gd-complexes. Thus, the 1H relaxometric study on [Gd2PCTA2(H2O)4] and on [Gd2AAZTA2(H2O)4]2− highlighted the remarkable rigidity and compactness of the two binuclear complexes, which results in molar relaxivities (per Gd), at 1.5 T and 298 K of ca. 12–12.6 mM−1 s−1 with an increase of ca. 80 % at 1.5 T and 298 K (+70 % at 310 K) with respect to the corresponding mononuclear complexes.