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Abstract #1231

Heparin-Polynitroxide Derivatives: First Application as Site Specific MRT Imaging Contrast Media for Vascular Wall

Maxim V. Terekhov1, Vasily Sen'2, Valery Golubev2, Stefan Weber3, Alexander W. Scholz4, Thomas Muenzel5, Andrei L. Kleschyov5, Laura Maria Schreiber3

1Department of Radiology, Section of Medical Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz, Germany; 2Institute of Problems of Chemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Russian Federation; 3Department of Radiology, Section of Medical Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz, Germany; 4Department of Anesthesiology, Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz, Germany; 5II-Department of Medicine, Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz, Germany


Cyclic nitroxides e.g. TEMPO are stable free radicals with multiple applications in MRI. Heparin is known to have a high affinity for the vascular extracellular structures. We propose that TEMPO could be delivered to the vascular wall by means of heparin-polynitroxide (HNR) derivatives where the nitroxide is linked with the heparin macromolecule. The T1,2 measurements show that HNR complexes provide the relaxivity contrast comparable with Gd-based media. The pilot MRI experiment with ex-vivo labeling of vascular wall with HNR demonstrate high potential of functionalized polynitroxide targeted to the specific structures of the vascular wall for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.