A Sensitive Zinc-Activated 129Xe MRI Probe
Abstract
Xenon capsule: A smart 129Xe NMR-based sensor of Zn2+ ions for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is proposed. The resonance frequency of xenon encapsulated in a cryptophane that bears a nitrilotriacetic ligand moiety varies when Zn2+ ions are present in solution (see picture). With hyper-polarized gas, such a construct enables detection of 100 nM zinc in one xenon batch, a threshold 300 times lower than achieved with gadolinium chelates.