In Vivo Positive Magnetic Resonance Imaging Applications of Poly(methyl vinyl ether-alt-maleic acid)-coated Ultra-small Paramagnetic Gadolinium Oxide Nanoparticles

The study of ultra-small paramagnetic gadolinium oxide (Gd(2)O(3)) nanoparticles (NPs) as in vivo positive (T(1)) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents is one of the most attractive fields in nanomedicine. The performance of the Gd(2)O(3) NP imaging agents depends on the surface-coating materials. In this study, poly(methyl vinyl ether-alt-maleic acid) (PMVEMA) was used as a surface-coating polymer. The PMVEMA-coated paramagnetic ultra-small Gd(2)O(3) NPs with an average particle diameter of 1.9 nm were synthesized using the one-pot polyol method. They exhibited excellent colloidal stability in water and good biocompatibility. They also showed a very high longitudinal water proton spin relaxivity (r(1)) value of 36.2 s(−1)mM(−1) (r(2)/r(1) = 2.0; r(2) = transverse water proton spin relaxivity) under a 3.0 tesla MR field which is approximately 10 times higher than the r(1) values of commercial molecular contrast agents. High positive contrast enhancements were observed in in vivo T(1) MR images after intravenous administration of the NP solution sample, demonstrating its potential as a T(1) MRI contrast agent.