Biocompatibility and hydrophilicity are key factors in the design of water-soluble imaging probes, particularly for F MRI, where perfluorocarbon contrast agents are typically highly hydrophobic. To address this limitation, two original sultones containing a polyfluorinated pentaerythritol scaffold were developed and evaluated as precursors of hydrophilic and sensitive F MRI tags. Their ring opening with F-fluoride led quantitatively to the corresponding polyfluorinated sulfo compounds that demonstrated water-solubility properties suitable for formulation and injection. F MRI studies in mice, performed with unprecedented low doses (<100 μM) of the stable polyfluorinated sulfo compounds, provided high-contrast whole-body images consistent with PET imaging of their radiofluorinated analogues. These findings demonstrate that polyfluorinated sultones are promising chemical precursors for F MRI and dual F MRI/F PET probes, enabling improved diagnostic performance.
Guillou, A., Joudiou, N., Fortin, A., Gourand, F., Mignion, L., Jordan, B., Cahard, D., & Perrio, C. (2026). A dual-modal F MRI/F PET approach using sultone-derived chemical tags. The Analyst, 151(7), 1970-1977. https://doi.org/10.1039/d5an01102g (Original work published 2026)