A gadolinium-based magnetic ionic liquid for supramolecular dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction followed by HPLC/UV for the determination of favipiravir in human plasma

Favipiravir is a potential antiviral medication that has been recently licensed for Covid-19 treatment. In this work, a gadolinium-based magnetic ionic liquid was prepared and used as an extractant in dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) of favipiravir in human plasma. The high enriching ability of DLLME allowed the determination of favipiravir in real samples using HPLC/UV with sufficient sensitivity. The effects of several variables on extraction efficiency were investigated, including type of extractant, amount of extractant, type of disperser and disperser volume. The maximum enrichment was attained using 50 mg of the Gd-magnetic ionic liquid (MIL) and 150 μl of tetrahydrofuran. The Gd-based MIL could form a supramolecular assembly in the presence of tetrahydrofuran, which enhanced the extraction efficiency of favipiravir. The developed method was validated according to US Food and Drug Administration bioanalytical method validation guidelines. The coefficient of determination was 0.9999, for a linear concentration range of 25 to 1.0 × 10⁵ ng/ml. The percentage recovery (accuracy) varied from 99.83 to 104.2%, with RSD values (precision) ranging from 4.07 to 11.84%. The total extraction time was about 12 min and the HPLC analysis time was 5 min. The method was simple, selective and sensitive for the determination of favipiravir in real human plasma.     

pH-Dependent Hydration Change in a Gd-Based MRI Contrast Agent with a Phosphonated Ligand

The heptadentate ligand L was shown to form an extremely stable Gd complex at neutral pH with a pGd value of 18.4 at pH 7.4. The X-ray crystal structures of the complexes formed with Gd and Tb displayed two very different coordination behaviors being, respectively, octa- and nonacoordinated. The relaxometric properties of the Gd complex were studied by field-dependent relaxivity measurements at various temperatures and by ¹⁷O NMR spectroscopy. The pH-dependence of the longitudinal relaxivity profile indicated large changes around neutral pH leading to a very large value of 10.1 mm ⁻¹⋅s⁻¹ (60 MHz, 298 K) at pH 4.7. The changes were attributed to an increase of the hydration number from one water molecule in basic conditions to two at acidic pH. A similar trend was observed for the luminescence of the Eu complex, confirming the change in hydration state. DOSY experiments were performed on the Lu analogue, pointing to the absence of dimers in solution in the considered pH range. A breathing mode of the complex was postulated, which was further supported by ¹H and ³¹P NMR spectroscopy of the Yb complex at varying pH and was finally modeled by DFT calculations.     

Coexistence of Spin–Lattice Relaxation and Phonon-Bottleneck Processes in GdIII–Phthlocyaninato Triple-Decker Complexes under Highly Diluted Conditions

Gd³⁺ complexes have been shown to undergo unusual slow magnetic relaxation processes similar to those of single-molecule magnets (SMMs), even though Gd³⁺ does not exhibit strong magnetic anisotropy. To reveal the origin of the slow magnetic relaxation of Gd³⁺ complexes, we have investigated the magnetic properties and heat capacities of two Gd³⁺-phthalocyaninato triple-decker complexes, one of which has intramolecular Gd³⁺–Gd³⁺ interactions and the other does not. It was found that the Gd³⁺–Gd³⁺ interactions accelerate the magnetic relaxation processes. In addition, magnetically diluted samples, prepared by doping a small amount of the Gd³⁺ complexes into a large amount of diamagnetic Y³⁺ complexes, underwent dual magnetic relaxation processes. A detailed dynamic magnetic analysis revealed that the coexistence of spin–lattice relaxation and phonon-bottleneck processes is the origin of the dual magnetic relaxation processes.     

(Gd,Lu)3Al5O12∶Tb3+,Eu3+透明陶瓷制备与发光性能

通过简单的化学沉淀法制备了纳米前驱体,结合真空烧结工艺,制备了一系列镥稳定钆铝石榴石{(Gd, Lu)₃Al₅O₁₂∶Tb,Eu}透明陶瓷。将透明陶瓷加工成1 mm厚的圆片,对透明陶瓷样品进行了X射线衍射、光致发光、透过率和衰减时间等表征。高温烧结过后,陶瓷样品仍保持稳定的石榴石相。选定313 nm作为透明陶瓷的激发波长,可获得最强的荧光发射。此外,通过对不同样品进行紫外可见荧光测试,获得了由绿光到红光的可调节发射。在313 nm激发,543 nm和591 nm的监测波长下,透明陶瓷样品均具有Eu³⁺的毫秒级衰减时间。     

UV Emission of Gd3+ in the Presence of Cu2+: Towards Luminescence Quenching through Quantum Cutting?

The first investigation into the ultraviolet (UV) photoluminescence of gadolinium(III) in the presence of copper(II) is reported. A melt‐quenched barium phosphate glass was used as a model matrix. The optical spectroscopy assessment shows that with increasing CuO concentration the Cu²⁺ absorption band grows steadily, whereas the UV emission from Gd³⁺ ions is progressively quenched. The data, thus, suggests the existence of a Gd³⁺→Cu²⁺ energy‐transfer process ocurring through quantum cutting. A downconversion/cross‐relaxation pathway proceeding through a virtual state in Gd³⁺ is proposed. These findings suggest gadolinium(III) could potentially be used in the optical sensing of copper(II).     

The new structure type Gd3Ni7Al14

The crystal structure of Gd₃Ni₇Al₁₄ (trigadolinium heptanickel tetradecaaluminide) belongs to a family of two‐layer structures and can be described as an assembly of interpenetrating centred straight prisms. For the Ni atoms, trigonal prisms (Al₄Gd₂ and Al₆) are observed, the Al atoms are inside tetragonal (Ni₂Al₂Gd₄, Ni₂Al₄Gd₂, Al₄Gd₄, Ni₄Al₄ and Al₈) and pentagonal (Ni₄Al₆ and Al₁₀) prisms, while the Gd atoms are at the centres of pentagonal (Ni₄Al₆) and hexagonal (Ni₄Al₈) prisms. In each case, the true coordination polyhedron is a capped prism, also including atoms from the same layer. The structural features of Gd₃Ni₇Al₁₄ are similar to those of the intermetallides PrNi₂Al₃ and ZrNiAl. In all these structures, Ni‐centred trigonal prisms form infinite columns via common triangular faces. The columns share prism edges and form a three‐dimensional framework with six‐membered rings in the (001) plane in the case of the PrNi₂Al₃ and ZrNiAl types. In the case of Gd₃Ni₇Al₁₄, six‐membered rings are also observed, but only two‐thirds of the rings are interconnected via prism edges.     

Synthesis and Evaluation of GdIII‐Based Magnetic Resonance Contrast Agents for Molecular Imaging of Prostate‐Specific Membrane Antigen

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is advantageous because it concurrently provides anatomic, functional, and molecular information. MR molecular imaging can combine the high spatial resolution of this established clinical modality with molecular profiling in vivo. However, as a result of the intrinsically low sensitivity of MR imaging, high local concentrations of biological targets are required to generate discernable MR contrast. We hypothesize that the prostate‐specific membrane antigen (PSMA), an attractive target for imaging and therapy of prostate cancer, could serve as a suitable biomarker for MR‐based molecular imaging. We have synthesized three new high‐affinity, low‐molecular‐weight Gd^III‐based PSMA‐targeted contrast agents containing one to three Gd^III chelates per molecule. We evaluated the relaxometric properties of these agents in solution, in prostate cancer cells, and in an in vivo experimental model to demonstrate the feasibility of PSMA‐based MR molecular imaging.     

New insights into water‐soluble and water‐coordinated copper 15‐metallacrown‐5 gadolinium complexes designed for high‐field magnetic resonance imaging applications

The development of contrast agents specifically designed for high‐field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is required because the relaxation efficiency of classic Gd(III) contrast agents significantly decreases with increasing magnetic field strengths. With an idea of exploring the unique structure of lanthanide (Ln) 15‐MC‐5 metallacrowns, we developed a series of water‐soluble Gd(III) aqua‐complexes, bearing aminohydroxamate (glycine, α‐alanine, α‐phenylalanine and α‐tyrosine) ligands, with increasing number of water molecules directly coordinated to the Gd(III) ion: Gd(H₂O)₄[15‐MC_Cu(II)Glyha‐5](Cl)₃ ( 1 (Gd)), Gd(H₂O)₄[15‐MC_Cu(II)Alaha‐5](Cl)₃ ( 2 (Gd)), Gd(H₂O)₃[15‐MC_{Cu(II)Phalaha}‐5](Cl)₃ ( 3 (Gd)) and Gd(H₂O)₃[15‐MC_Cu(II)Tyrha‐5](Cl)₃ ( 4 (Gd)). In these systems, the Ln(III) central ion is coordinated by five oxygen donor atoms of the ligands and three or four inner‐sphere water molecules. The X‐ray crystal structure of metallacrown Ln(H₂O)_3,4[15‐MC_Cu(II)Rha‐5]³⁺ agrees with density functional theory predictions. The calculations demonstrate that the exchange of coordinated water molecules can proceed easily, resulting in increased relaxivity parameters. The longitudinal relaxivities (r₁) of 1 (Gd)– 4 (Gd) in water at ultrahigh magnetic field of 9.4 T were determined to be 11.5, 14.8, 13.9 and 12.2 mM^?1 s^?1, respectively. The ability to increase the number of Ln(III) inner‐sphere water molecules up to four, the planar metallacrown structure and the rich hydration shell due to strong hydrogen bonds between the [15‐MC‐5] moiety and bulk water molecules provide new opportunities for potential MRI applications.     

Gadolinium‐Decorated Silica Microspheres as Redox‐Responsive MRI Probes for Applications in Cell Therapy Follow‐Up

The redox microenvironment within a cell graft can be considered as an indicator to assess whether the graft is metabolically active or hypoxic. We present a redox‐responsive MRI probe based on porous silica microparticles whose surface has been decorated with a Gd‐chelate through a disulphide bridge. Such microparticles are designed to be interspersed with therapeutic cells within a biocompatible hydrogel. The onset of reducing conditions within the hydrogel is paralleled by an increased clearance of Gd, that can be detected by MRI.