Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) coupled with ¹⁵N magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides an opportunity to image quantitative levels of biologically important metal ions such as Zn²⁺, Mg²⁺ or Ca²⁺ using appropriately designed ¹⁵N enriched probes. For example, a Zn-specific probe could prove particularly valuable for imaging the tissue distribution of freely available Zn²⁺ ions, an important known metal ion biomarker in the pancreas, in prostate cancer, and in several neurodegenerative diseases. In the present study, we prepare the cell-permeable, ¹⁵N-enriched, d₆-deuterated version of the well-known Zn²⁺ chelator, tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine (TPA) and demonstrate that the polarized ligand had favorable T₁ and linewidth characteristics for ¹⁵N MRI. Examples of how polarized TPA can be used to quantify freely available Zn²⁺ in homogenized human prostate tissue and intact cells are presented.

动态核极化（DNP）结合¹⁵ N磁共振成像（MRI），提供了使用适当设计的¹⁵ N富集探针对定量水平的重要生物重要金属离子（如Zn 2 ⁺，Mg ²⁺或Ca ²⁺）成像的机会。例如，Zn特异性探针对于成像可自由利用的Zn ²⁺离子的组织分布特别有价值，Zn ²⁺离子是胰腺，前列腺癌和几种神经退行性疾病中一种重要的已知金属离子生物标记。在本研究中，我们准备了众所周知的Zn ²⁺的细胞可渗透的¹⁵ N富集的d ₆氘代版本螯合剂三（2-吡啶基甲基）胺（TPA），并证明极化配体对¹⁵ N MRI具有良好的T ₁和线宽特征。给出了极化TPA如何用于量化均质化的人类前列腺组织和完整细胞中游离的Zn ^2+的示例。