Partners and International Organizations
(English)
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AT, BE, CY, CZ, FI, FR, DE, EL, HU, IT, LV, NL, NO, PL, PT, RO, SK, ES, CH, UK
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Abstract
(English)
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Water-soluble fullerene derivatives possess potential in various biomedical applications. Endohedral gadofullerenes have been suggested as MRI contrast agents due to their large proton relaxivities related to pH-controlled self-aggregation. We have demonstrated that proton relaxivity measurements for Gd@C60[C(COOH)2]10 and Gd@C60(OH)x, can be indeed used to probe aggregation characteristics in the presence of physiologically-encountered agents. This has important implications not only for the development of gadofullerene-based MRI contrast agents, but for biological or medical application of fullerene-based materials. Phosphate buffers, widely used for in vitro tests to mimic biological conditions, will strongly influence properties related to aggregation phenomena. Moreover, real biological fluids present a rather high salt concentration which will also modify the behavior of fullerene aggregation and thereby influence fullerene-based drug delivery.
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