Gadoterate meglumine - anionic linear globular dendrimer second generation: A novel nano sized theranostic contrast agent

Objective(s): Cancer is known as one of the most life-threatening diseases in the world. Early diagnosis of cancer may significantly increase the chance of effective treatment. In the recent years, the importance of medical imaging usage has been increased to identify cancer's nature and pattern of growth in order to provide the most advantageous treatment approaches for cancer tumors. Magnetic resonance imaging is an efficient non-invasive tool for early diagnosis of cancer which provides clear scans of various tissues without radiation. Contrast Agents such as Gadoterate Meglumine enhance contrast MR imaging and provide imaging from inside the cells without entering them. Materials and Methods: In this study, Gadoterate Meglumine nano-sized anionic linear globular dendrimer second generation was first synthesized and then qualitative and quantitative methods were carried out to ensure the proper synthesis and to assess the toxicity of the compound. Once the non-toxicity of the chemical was ensured, in vivo MR imaging studies was performed to test the impact of the synthesized compound on the resolution of image. Results: The result obtained from this study demonstrated that the attachment of Gadolinium (III) to a nano dendrimer reduces its cytotoxicity and also improved resolution of image. In this research, Gadoterate Meglumine nano-sized anionic linear globular dendrimer second generation was effectively able to enter the cells while showing low cytotoxicity in the normal cells and moderate cytotoxicity on cancer cells. Conclusion: Therefore, ALGDG(2)-GM could be introduced as a novel, safe, effective and promising nano-sized theranostic contrast agent candidate.