Manipulating the surface coating of ultra-small Gd2O3 nanoparticles for improved T1-weighted MR imaging

In this report, monodispersed ultra-small Gd2O3 nanoparticles capped with hydrophobic oleic acid (OA) were synthesized with average particle size of 2.9 nm. Two methods were introduced to modify the surface coating to hydrophilic for bio-applications. With a hydrophilic coating, the polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) coated Gd2O3 nanoparticles (Gd2O3-PVP) showed a reduced longitudinal T1 relaxation time compared with OA and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) co-coated Gd2O3 (Gd2O3-OA-CTAB) in the relaxation study. The Gd2O3-PVP was thus chosen for its further application study in MRI with an improved longitudinal relaxivity r1 of 12.1 mm−1 s−1 at 7 T, which is around 3 times as that of commercial contrast agent Magnevist®. In vitro cell viability in HK-2 cell indicated negligible cytotoxicity of Gd2O3-PVP within preclinical dosage. In vivo MR imaging study of Gd2O3-PVP nanoparticles demonstrated considerable signal enhancement in the liver and kidney with a long blood circulation time. Notably, the OA capping agent was replaced by PVP through ligand exchange on the Gd2O3 nanoparticle surface. The hydrophilic PVP grants the Gd2O3 nanoparticles with a polar surface for bio-application, and the obtained Gd2O3-PVP could be used as an in vivo indicator of reticuloendothelial activity.