Gadolinium-Loaded Viral Capsids as Magnetic Resonance Imaging Contrast Agents

Polymeric nanohybrid P22 virus capsids were used as templates for high density Gd3+ loading to explore magnetic field-dependent (0.5-7.0 T) proton relaxivity. The field-dependence of relaxivity by the spatially constrained Gd3+ in the capsids was similar when either the loading of the capsids or the concentration of capsids was varied. The ionic longitudinal relaxivity, r (1), decreased from 25-32 mM(-1) s(-1) at 0.5 T to 6-10 mM(-1) s(-1) at 7 T. The ionic transverse relaxivity, r (2), increased from 28-37 mM(-1) s(-1) at 0.5 T to 39-50 mM(-1) s(-1) at 7 T. The r (2)/r (1) ratio increased linearly with increasing magnetic field from about 1 at 0.5 T, which is typical of T (1) contrast agents, to 5-8 at 7 T, which is approaching the ratios for T (2) contrast agents. Increases in electron paramagnetic resonance line widths at 80 and 150 K and higher microwave powers required for signal saturation indicate enhanced Gd3+ electron spin relaxation rates for the Gd3+-loaded capsids than for low concentration Gd3+. The largest r (2)/r (1) at 7 T was for the highest cage loading, which suggests that Gd3+-Gd3+ interactions within the capsid enhance r (2) more than r (1).