Cyclodextrin-Based Organic Radical Contrast Agents for in vivo Imaging of Gliomas.

Cyclodextrins (CDs), a class of cyclic oligosaccharides formed by α-(1,4) linked glucopyranose units, were functionalized with (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-yl)oxyl (TEMPO) radicals to prepare water soluble supramolecular organic radical contrast agents (ORCAs) for the in vivo detection of glioma tumor in animal models. A first set of molecules (CDn1, n=6,7,8 is the number of both TEMPO and glucopyranose units) was studied by superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUID) magnetometry in order to define the role of the CD macrocycle on the effective magnetic moment (μ ). The μ value increased from 3.