A self-assembly heterotrinuclear gadolinium(III)–iron(II) complex as a MRI contrast agent

A new self-assembly gadolinium(III)–iron(II) complex (Gd2Fe) was synthesized and characterized. Relaxivity studies showed that complex Gd2Fe exhibited higher relaxation efficiency compared with the clinically used Gd-DTPA. In vitro MR images on a 0.5 T magnetic field exhibited a remarkable enhancement of signal contrast for Gd2Fe than Gd-DTPA. The results indicated that Gd2Fe could serve as a potential MRI contrast agent.