Gd-Chelated poly(propylene imine) dendrimers with densely organized maltose shells for enhanced MR imaging applications

), the developed PPI-MAL DS-DOTA(Gd) nanocomplexes can be used as an efficient contrast agent for MR imaging of cancer cells in vitro, and animal aorta, renal artery, kidney, and bladder in vivo. Furthermore, tissue distribution studies show that the glycodendrimer/Gd complexes are metabolized and cleared out of the body at 48 h post injection. The developed PPI-MAL DS-DOTA(Gd) may be further functionalized for MR imaging of different biological systems.