NOVEL CHELATING AGENT, COMPLEX COMPOUND COMPOSED OF SAID AGENT AND METALLIC ATOM, AND DIAGNOSTIC AGENT CONTAINING SAID COMPOUND

Abstract: A compound represented by general formula (I), a complex compound composed of the above compound and a metallic atom, and a diagnostic agent containing the complex compound, wherein m represents an integer of 1 to 3, R₁ and R₂ may be the same or different from each other and each represents hydrogen or lower alkyl, and R₃, R₄, R₅ and R₆ may be the same or different from one another and each represents hydroxy or (II), wherein n represents 0 or 1, X represents - NH- or -O-, Y represents alkylene, A represents hydrogen, lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, halogen or trifluoromethyl, and B represents alkyl or alkenyl, provided that two or three of the groups R₃, R₄, R₅ and R₆ are hydroxy and that when two of them are hydroxy groups, then the cases where R₃ and R₅ are hydroxy and where R₄ and R₆ are hydroxy are excluded. The first-mentioned compound is useful as a chelating agent and the complex compound has excellent characteristics as a contrast medium for diagnostic imaging.

Description: The present invention relates to a chelating agent, a complex compound of said chelating agent and a metallic atom and a diagnostic agent containing said complex compound. More particularly, the present invention relates to a novel metallic chelating agent capable of forming a complex compound with a metallic atom, a complex compound of said chelating agent and a metallic atom which is useful for medical diagnosis, and a diagnostic agent containing said complex compound. An image diagnosis which is based on images conveying the information of a lesion is an indispensable method for clinical diagnosis. In addition to an X-ray CT which is one of the image diagnoses currently in wide use, new distinguished techniques for image diagnosis such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) have been developed for the last decade or so, and are making great contribution to the development of image diagnosis. MRI has been recently introduced into the medical field and rapidly improved to be widely used ever since. MRI is advantageously characterized in that it is free of exposure since it does not involve radiation, that optional cross section can be put into an image and that it is free of hindrance by bones, and these characteristics make MRI distinct from conventional X-ray CT. MRI shows magnetic resonance phenomena [usually a relaxation time (T 1 , T 2 ) of hydrogen atomic nucleus] of internal substances with different signal intensities. A paramagnetic substance promotes relaxation of proton (proton of water) and acts as a contrast medium capable of enhancing contrast of images. In particular, rare earth Gd (trivalent) has 7 unpaired electrons on the 4f orbit and has many coordinations (9 or 10), which results in a strong relaxation effect to provide a powerful contrast medium [R. B. Lauffer, Chem. Rev., 87, 901 (1987)]. However, Gd (trivalent) is not discharged from the body and poses toxicity problem. For this reason, Gd is administered as a complex compound (Gd-DTPA) with a known chelating agent DTPA (diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid). Gd-DTPA has been acknowledged to be useful for clinical diagnosis. However, there are many problems to be resolved with respect to Gd-DTPA. For example, the drug per se has a short half-life in blood and poor tissue selectivity and shows a high osmotic pressure since it is present as a bivalent anion complex under physiological conditions. While various approaches have been taken to overcome these problems (Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication Nos. 93758/1988, 1395/1989), they have not necessarily achieved satisfactory results. Accordingly, research and development of new complex compounds, particularly of a chelating agent, is significantly important. EP-A-263 059 and EP-A-451 824 both describe chelating compounds for use in diagnostic agents. An object of the present invention is to provide a novel chelating agent capable of forming a complex compound characterized in that it exhibits superior contrast enhancement, tissue selectivity, stability and duration in blood, and it does not show high osmotic pressure, a complex compound comprising said chelating agent and a metallic atom, and a diagnostic agent containing said complex compound. With the aim of solving the aforementioned problems, the present inventors have made intensive studies and found that a complex compound of a compound of the following formula (I) and a metallic atom shows superior contrast enhancement, tissue selectivity, stability and duration in blood and does not show high osmotic pressure, which resulted in the completion of the invention. That is, the present invention relates to a compound of the following formula (I) [hereinafter sometimes referred to as Compound (I) or merely as a chelating agent], its salt, a complex compound of the Compound'(I) and a metallic atom, its salt and a diagnostic containing said complex compound or its salt. wherein: m is an integer of 1 to 3; R 1 and R 2 are the same or different and each is hydrogen atom or C 1-4 alkyl; and R 3 , R 4 , R 5 and R 6 are the same or different and each is hydroxy or a group of the formula wherein: n is 0; X is -NH- or -0-; Y is alkylene; A is hydrogen atom, C 1-4 alkyl, C 1-4 alkoxy, halogen atom or trifluoromethyl; and B is alkyl or alkenyl, whereby the total carbon number of Y and B is not less than 5, with the proviso that three of R 3 , R 4 , R 5 and R 6 are hydroxyl groups. Fig. 1 shows accumulation, in an organ (liver, kidney or spleen), of the complex compound of the present invention comprising a chelating agent and a metallic atom when administered to rats. In the compounds of the above-depictedformula, C 1-4 alkyl may be straight-or branched chain, which is exemplified by methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl and tert-butyl. Alkylene may be straight or branched chain and preferably has 1 to 10 carbon atoms, which is exemplified by methylene, ethylene, trimethylene, propylene, tetramethylene, pentamethylene, 1-methylethylene, 1-methyltetramethylene, hexamethylene, octamethylene and decamethylene. C 1-4 alkoxy may be straight or branched chain, which is exemplified by methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy, butoxy and tert-butoxy. Alkyl may be straight or branched chain and preferably has 1 to 20 carbon atoms, which is exemplified by methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl, tert-butyl, pentyl, hexyl, octyl, decyl, dodecyl, tetradecyl and octadecyl. Alkenyl may be straight or branched chain and preferably has 2 to 20 carbon atoms, which is exemplified by hexenyl, octenyl, 3,7-dimethyl-2,6-dioctadienyl and 9-octadecenyl, with no limitation on the position and the number of double bond. Halogen atom is exemplified by chlorine atom and bromine atorn. In the compounds of the formula (I), the total carbon number of Y and B is 5 or more, more preferably 8-12. While there is no limitation on the bonding site of A and B which are the substituents on phenyl, B is preferably bonded at the meta or para position relative to Y. Preferably, the salts of the compound of the present invention are pharmaceutically acceptable ones and are exemplified by salts with metal such as sodium and potassium, salts with organic base such as ethanolamine, morpholine and meglumine (N-methylglucamine), and salts with amino acid such as arginine and ornithine. The compounds of the present invention can be produced by various methods and they are obtainable, for example, by the method shown by the following reaction formulas. wherein m, n, R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , Y, A and B are as defined above and X 1 is -NH 2 or -OH. In the reaction step as described, Compound (III) which is an acid anhydride can be obtained by, for example, subjecting a Compound (II) to a known dehydration using acetic anhydride, dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, 1,1'-carbonyldiimidazole or the like. The reaction proceeds in a solvent which does not adversely affect the reaction at about 50-100°C for about 3 hours to 3 days. Compound (I) is obtained by reacting a compound (III) and a compound (IV). The reaction between the compound (III) and the compound (IV) can be carried out according to a conventional method including reaction of an acid anhydride and an amino compound or a hydroxyl compound. For example, a compound (III) is dissolved in an organic solvent such as N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and a compound (IV) is added thereto upon dissolution in an organic solvent such as methylene chloride or chloroform on demand, followed by reaction at about room temperature to 90°C for about 30 minutes to 5 days. During this reaction, a basic compound such as pyridine, triethylamine or N,N-dimethylaniline may be added. When a compound having three hydroxyl groups is desired, a compound (IV) is used in 1.0 to 1.3 equivalents relative to a compound (III). In the latter case wherein hydroxyl groups are three, water (about 1.0 equivalent) is added after the reaction and a reaction under the same reaction conditions as above is carried out, thereby to hydrate the unreacted anhydrous carboxylic acid moiety to introduce same into a Compound (I). The addition of water to the anhydrous carboxylic acid moiety may be performed with the compound (III) prior to the reaction between the compound (III) and the compound (IV). The salts of the Compound (I) can be prepared according to conventional methods. The Compound (I) and its salt thus obtained are isolated and purified by a conventional method such as recrystallization, reprecipitation and column chromatography. The complex compound of the present invention comprises the aforementioned Compound (I) and a metallic atom and preparation of the complex compound can be done by a method known in the pertinent field. For example, an oxide or halide compound of a metal is added to water and treated with an equimolar amount of the Compound (I) or its salt. The Compound (I) and its salt can be added as an aqueous solution. When solubility in water may be low, an organic solvent such as methanol; ethanol, acetone or dimethylsulfoxide may be added. Where necessary, a dilute acid or a dilute base is added for pH control. Heating and cooling involved when preparing a complex compound may be done as appropriate. Pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the complex compound of the present invention are prepared by neutralizing the complex compound with an acid such as an organic acid or an inorganic acid, or a base such as alkali metal hydroxide or basic amino acid, while the complex compound is still in a dissolution state. The diagnostic agent of the present invention comprises the aforementioned complex compound or its salt and can be used as an MRI diagnostic, X-ray diagnostic, nuclear medicine diagnostic or ultrasonic diagnostic, according to metallic atom selected as appropriate. Particularly preferably, it is used as an MRI diagnostic. In this case, preferable metallic atoms for the complex compound are the elements of atomic number 21-29, 42, 44, and 57-70. The central metallic ion of the complex compound needs to be paramagnetic and bivalent, and trivalent ions of the aforementioned metallic atoms are preferable. Examples of suitable ion include chromium (III), manganese (II), iron (III), cobalt (II), nickel (II), copper (II), praseodymium (III), neodymium (III), samarium (III), gadolinium (III), terbium (III), dysprosium (III), holmium (III), erbium (III) and ytterbium (III) ions, with particular preference given to gadolinium (III), terbium (III), dysprosium (III), holmium (III), erbium (III) and iron (III) ions. When used as a nuclear medicine diagnostic, the metallic atom of the complex compound needs to be radioactive and, for example, a radioisotope of an element such as gallium, technetium, indium or yttrium is used. When used as an X-ray diagnostic, the metallic atom of the complex compound needs to absorb X-rays and, for example, a metal of lanthanum series, tantalum or the like is used. These complex compounds are usable as ultrasonic diagnostics. The diagnostic agent of the present invention is provided in the form of an aqueous solution, emulsion, liposome preparation or a lyophilized preparation thereof, which are prepared by conventional means for producing pharmaceutical preparations from an aqueous solution of the aforementioned complex compound. When in use, the lyophilized preparation is dissolved or dispersed in a suitable diluent. The diagnostic agent of the present invention may contain physiologically acceptable buffer such as tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane or other physiologically acceptable additives such as stabilizer (e.g. p-hydroxybenzoate esters). The diagnostic agent of the present invention can be used in the same manner as when using other conventional diagnostic agents and, for example, a liquid preparation is orally or parenterally administered to mammals inclusive of human. The dose is substantially the same as that of the conventional diagnostic agents and is about 0.001-5 mmol/kg, usually about 0.005-0.5 mmol/kg. The complex compound composed of the compound of the present invention and a metallic atom exhibits superior contrast enhancement, tissue selectivity, safety and duration in blood and does not show high osmotic pressure. Accordingly, it is useful for medical diagnosis, in particular, for MRI diagnosis. The complex compound of the present invention is advantageously used for imaging various organs such as liver and spleen, tumor, blood vessels etc. and is also useful as a diagnostic agent for arterial sclerosis. The complex compound specifically shows high accumulation in the lesions of atherosclerosis and is useful for the diagnosis of atherosclerosis. Also, the complex compound is useful for the diagnosis of liver tumor. In addition, the compound of the present invention has a benzene ring in the molecule. Therefore, tracing and analysis of internal kinetics and concentration in blood of the complex compound can be easily done using UV absorption (e.g. at 254 nm) as an index. Furthermore, the compound of the present invention is appropriately liposoluble and has affinity for lipids. For this reason, the complex compound of the present invention is easily prepared into a lipid emulsion or liposome by a known method, thus enabling further improvement in tissue selectivity. The preferable compounds are N-(4-octylphenylcarbamoylmethyl)diethylenetriamine-N,N',N",N"-tetraacetic acid (DTPA-OA, Example 1 to be mentioned later); N-(4-hexylphenylcarbamoylmethyl)diethylenetriamine-N,N',N",N"-tetraaceticacid(DTPA-HA, Example 2 to be mentioned later); N-(4-decylphenylcarbamoylmethyl)diethylenetriamine-N,N',N",N"-tetraacetic acid (DTPA-DeA, Example 3 to be mentioned later); and N-(4-dodecylphenylcarbamoylmethyl)diethylenetriamine-N,N',N", N"-tetraacetic acid (DTPA-DoA, Example 4 to be mentioned later). While the present invention is explained in detail by illustration of Examples and Experimental Examples in the following, the present invention is not limited to them. Example 1 Synthesis of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid monoamides - 1 [A Compound (I) wherein m=1, R 1 =R 2 =H, R 3 =p-C 8 H 17 C 6 H 4 NH, R 4 =R 5 =R 6 =OH, DTPA-OA] Diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid dianhydride (3.00 g, 8.4 mmol) was dissolved in dry DMF (45 ml) at 75°C. Water (0.15 ml, 8.3 mmol) was dropwise added thereto and the mixture was stirred at said temperature for 1 hour to produce diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid monoanhydride. 4-Octylaniline (1.75 g, 8.3 mmol) was dropwise added thereto and the mixture was stirred at said temperature for 1 hour. The mixture was purified by column chromatography (eluate: 40% aqueous methanol) to give 1.48 g of the object compound (white, amorphous, mp 164.0-167.0°C), yield 30.0%. 1 H-NMR (CD 3 OD+CF 3 COOD) δ:0.89 (3H, t, J=6.4Hz), 1.1-1.5(10H, m), 1.5-1.7 (2H, m), 2.56 (2H, t, J=7.5Hz), 3.1-3,4 (4H, m), 3.4-3.6 (4H, m), 3.6-3.9 (BH, m), 4.36 (2H, s), 7.13 (2H, d, J=8.4Hz), 7.49 (2H, d, J=8.4Hz) IR (KBr): 3400-3000, 1680, 1610cm -1 Example 2 Synthesis of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid monoamides - 2 [A Compound (I) wherein m=1, R 1 =R 2 =H, R 3 =p-C 6 H 13 C 6 H 4 NH, R 4 =R 5 =R 6 =OH, DTPA-HA] Diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid dianhydride (3.00 g, 8.4 mmol) was dissolved in dry DMF (45 ml) at 75°C. Water (0.15 ml, 8.3 mmol) was dropwise added thereto and the mixture was stirred at said temperature for 1 hour to produce diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid monoanhydride. 4-Hexylaniline (1.47 g, 8.3 mmol) was dropwise added thereto and the mixture was stirred at said temperature for 1 hour. The mixture was purified by column chromatography (eluate: 20% aqueous methanol) to give 1.74 g of the object compound (slightly yellow, amorphous, mp 159.0-160.0°C), yield 38.0%. 1 H-NMR (CD 3 OD) δ:0.89 (3H, t, J=6,5Hz), 1.2-1.5 (6H, m), 1.5-1.8 (2H, m), 2.55 (2H, t, J=7.5Hz), 3.1-3.5 (8H, m), 3.60 (2H, brs), 3.68 (6H, brs), 3.79 (2H, brs), 7.11 (2H, d, J=8.4Hz), 7.53 (2H, d, J=8.4Hz) IR (KBr): 3380-3000, 1680, 1610 cm -1 Example 3 Synthesis of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid monoamides - 3 [A Compound (I) wherein m=1, R 1 =R 2 =H, R 3 =p-C 10 H 21 C 6 H 4 NH, R 4 =R 5 =R 6 =OH, DTPA-DeA] Diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid dianhydride (3.97 g, 11.1 mmol) was dissolved in dry DMF (60 ml) at 75°C. Water (0.20 ml, 11.1 mmol) was dropwise added thereto and the mixture was stirred at said temperature for 1 hour to produce diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid monoanhydride. A solution of 4-decylaniline (2.59 g, 11.1 mmol) in dry methylene chloride (5 ml) was dropwise added thereto and the mixture was stirred at said temperature for 1 hour. The mixture was purified by column chromatography (eluate: 40% aqueous methanol) to give 3.06 g of the object compound (white, amorphous, mp 169.0-172.0°C), yield 45.3%. 1 H-NMR (CD 3 OD) δ : 0.89 (3H, t, J=6.3Hz), 1.2-1.4(14H, m); 1.5-1.7 (2H, m), 2.56 (2H, t, J=7.5Hz), 3.1-3.4 (8H, m), 3.59 (2H, s), 3.63 (4H, s), 3.71 (2H, s), 3.73 (2H, s), 7.12 (2H, d, J=8.3Hz), 7.53 (2H, d, J=8.3Hz) IR (KBr): 3500-3000, 1680, 1620 cm -1 Example 4 Synthesis of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid monoamides - 4 [A Compound (I) wherein m=1, R 1 =R 2 =H, R 3 =p-C 12 H 25 C 6 H 4 NH, R 4 =R 5 =R 6 =OH, DTPA-DoA] Diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid dianhydride (3.97 g, 11.1 mmol) was dissolved in dry DMF (60 ml) at 75°C. Water (0.20 ml, 11.1 mmol) was dropwise added thereto and the mixture was stirred at said temperature for 1 hour to produce diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid monoanhydride. A solution of 4-dodecylaniline (2.91 g, 11.1 mmol) in dry methylene chloride (5 ml) was dropwise added thereto and the mixture was stirred at said temperature for 1 hour. The mixture was purified by column chromatography (eluate: 40% aqueous methanol) to give 2.60 g of the object compound (white, amorphous, mp 171.0-173.5°C), yield 36.7%. 1 H-NMR (CD 3 OD) δ: 0.89 (3H, t, J=6.4Hz), 1.2-1.4 (16H, m), 1.5-1.7 (2H, m), 2.56 (2H, t, J=7.5Hz), 3.1-3.4 (8H, m), 3.50 (2H, s), 3.61 (2H, s). 3.66 (4H, s), 3.71 (2H, s), 7.11 (2H, d, J=8.4Hz), 7.54 (2H, d, J=8.4Hz) IR (KBr): 3500-3000, 1680, 1620 cm -1 Example 5 Synthesis of triethylenetetraaminehexaacetic acid monoamides - 1 [A Compound (I) wherein m=2, R 1 =R 2 =H, R 3 =p-C 8 H 17 C 6 H 4 NH, R 4 =R 5 =R 6 =OH, TTHA-OA] Triethylenetetraaminehexaacetic acid dianhydride (4.63 g, 10.1 mmol) was dissolved in dry DMF (55 ml) at 80°C. Water (0.18 ml, 10 mmol) was dropwise added thereto and the mixture was stirred at said temperature for 30 minutes to produce triethylenetetraaminehexaacetic acid monoanhydride. 4-Octylaniline (2.3 ml, 10.1 mmol) was dropwise added thereto and the mixture was stirred at said temperature for 1 hour. The mixture was purified by HPLC (eluate: 35% aqueous methanol) to give 2.28 g of the object compound (brown, amorphous, mp 182-184°C), yield 33%. 1 H-NMR (CD 3 OD) δ: 0.89 (3H, t, J=6.4Hz), 1.1-1.45 (10H, m), 1.45-1.7 (2H, m), 2.56 (2H, t, J=7.5Hz), 2.9-3.25 (6H, m), 3.25-3.55 (10H, m), 3.57 (2H, s), 3.65-3.9 (6H, m), 7.11 (2H, d, J=8.4Hz), 7.55 (2H, d, J=8.4Hz) IR(KBr): 3400, 1620 cm -1 Example 6 Synthesis of triethylenetetraaminehexaacetic acid monoamides - 2 [A Compound (i) wherein m=2, R 1 =R 2 =H, R 3 =p-C 6 H 13 C 6 H 4 NH, R 4 =R 5 =R 6 =OH, TTHA-HA] Triethylenetetraaminehexaacetic acid dianhydride (500 mg, 1.1 mmol) was dissolved in dry DMF (10 ml) at 80°C. Water (0.02 ml, 1.1 mmol) was dropwise added thereto and the mixture was stirred at said temperature for 1 hour to produce triethylenetetraaminehexaacetic acid monoanhydride. 4-Hexylaniline (0.18 g, 1.0 mmol) was dropwise added thereto and the mixture was stirred at said temperature for 1 hour. The mixture was purified by column chromatography (eluate: 20% aqueous methanol) to give 119 mg of the object compound (anhydrous, amorphous, mp 168.0-170.0°C), yield 18,0%. 1 H-NMR (CD 3 OD) δ:0,89 (3H, t, J=6.4Hz), 1.2-1.5 (6H, m), 1.5-1.7 (2H, m), 2.57 (2H, t, J=7.5Hz), 3.0-3.3 (6H, m), 3.3-3.5 (6H, m), 3.5-3.6 (4H, m), 3.61 (2H, s), 3.7-3.9 (6H, m), 7.11 (2H, d, J=8.4Hz), 7.54 (2H, d, J=8.4Hz) IR (KBr): 3380-3000, 1680, 1610 cm -1 Reference Example 7 Synthesis of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid monoesters [A Compound (I) wherein m=1, R 1 =R 2 =H, R 3 =p-C 13 H 27 C 6 H 4 CH 2 O, R 4 =R 5 =R 6 =OH, DTPA-THB] In the same manner as in Example 1 except that 4-tridecylbenzyl alcohol was used in place of 4-octylaniline, the object compound (pale yellow, amorphous, mp 194.0-197.0°C) was obtained. 1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 +CF 3 COOD) δ: 0.88 (3H, t, J=6.6Hz), 1.2-1 4 (20H, m), 1.5-1.7 (2H, m), 2.61 (2H, t, J=7.8Hz), 3.3-3.4 (4H, m), 3.6-3.8 (4H, m), 3.80 (2H, s), 4.26 (6H, s), 4.31 (2H, s), 5.22 (2H, s), 7.21 (4H, s) IR (KBr): 3400, 1720, 1700, 1630 cm -1 Example 8 Preparation of Gd · DTPA-OA complex compound To an aqueous solution of DTPA-OA (5.8 g) obtained by the method of Example 1 in distilled water (800 ml) was gradually added a 0.05 M GdCl 3 solution (200 ml) and the mixture was stirred while adjusting its pH to about 7.0 with 0.1 N aqueous solution of NaOH, followed by reaction at room temperature for about 1 hour. After the reaction, the reaction mixture was lyophilized to give 7.92 g of Gd · DTPA-OA complex compound. Example 9 Preparation of Gd · DTPA-DeA complex compound In the same manner as in Example 8 except that DTPA-DeA obtained by the method of Example 3 was used in place of DTPA-OA, the object complex compound was obtained. Example 10 Preparation of lipid-emulsified complex compound Purified egg yolk phospholipid (60 g) and Gd · DTPA-DeA complex compound (40 g) were added to purified soybean oil (100 g) and mixed. Distilled water (1750 ml) and glycerin (20.0 g) were added thereto and the mixture was homogenized in a homomixer. The mixture was subjected to high-pressure emulsification in a Manton-Gaulin high pressure homogenizer to give a homogenized, highly fine Gd DTPA-DeA lipid emulsion having an average particle size of not more than 1 µm. The osmotic pressure of the obtained Gd · DTPA-DeA lipid emulsion to physiological saline was about 1.0. Experimental Example 1 Diagnosis of atherosclerosis using complex compound of the invention Rabbit models with arterial sclerosis were fixed at the dorsal position without anesthetizing and an aqueous solution of Gd - DTPA-OA as obtained in Example 8 was continuously administered to the rabbits at 2 ml/min from the auricular vein at a dose of 200 µmol/kg. The rabbits were poisoned to death at 5 min, 30 min or 6 hours after the administration and the thoracica aorta was removed. The fat adhered to the outside of the aorta was carefully removed and the blood vessel was incised to remove the sclerosis lesion. The lesion was placed in an NMR test tube and subjected to MRI imaging. The MRI system was Siemens Magnetom 1.5T and the coil used was an eye coil. Image pickup was done at time of repetition (TR)=500 msec, echo time (TE)=22 msec, slice thickness=1 mm, accumulation=8 times and matrix=128×256. The obtained image clearly showed the sclerosis lesion in the blood vessel with distinct contrast between the sclerosis lesion and where not, thus proving its usefulness as a contrast medium for MRI diagnosis. Experimental Example 2 Measurement of internal distribution in rat organs An aqueous solution of Gd · DTPA-DoA obtained by the procedure similar to that in Example 8 was bolus-administered at 0.02 mmol/kg into the tail vein. The test animal was slaughtered with CO 2 gas at 30 min, 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours, 6 hours or 24 hours after the administration and dehematized, Organs (liver, kidney and spleen) were removed. After homogenizing each organ, ethanol was added thereto and the mixture was centrifuged to give a supernatant. The supernatant was subjected to HPLC (65% methanol, 1% triethylamine, pH 7.0, C18 column) to measure the amount of the complex compound and the percentage thereof to the dose was calculated. The results are shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 1, a superior accumulation in liver was found.

Claims: A compound of the following formula (I) wherein: m is an integer of 1 to 3; R 1 and R 2 are the same or different and each is hydrogen atom or C 1-4 alkyl; and R 3 , R 4 , R 5 and R 6 are the same or different and each is hydroxy or a group of the formula wherein: n is 0 X is -NH-or-O-; Y is alkylene; A is hydrogen atom, C 1-4 alkyl, C 1-4 alkoxy, halogen atom or trifluoromethyl; and B is alkyl or alkenyl, whereby the total carbon number of Y and B is not less than 5, with the proviso that three of R 3 , R 4 , R 5 and R 6 are hydroxyl groups. The compound of Claim 1 wherein, in the formula (I), the total carbon number of Y and B is 5-14, or a salt thereof. The compound of Claim 2 wherein, in the formula (I), the total carbon number of Y and B is 8-12, or a salt thereof. The compound of any one of Claims 1 to 3 wherein, in the formula (I), B is bonded at the meta- or para position relative to Y, or a salt thereof The compound of any one of Claims 1 to 4 which is selected from the group consisting of: N-(4-hexylphenylcarbamoylmethyl)diethylenetriamine-N,N',N",N"-tetraacetic acid, N-(4-octylphenylcarbamoylmethyl)diethylenetriamine-N, N', N", N"-tetraacetic acid, N-(4-decylphenylcarbamoylmethyl)diethylenetriamine-N,N',N",N"-tetraacetic acid and N-(4-dodecylphenylcarbamoyliethyl)diethylenetriamine-N,N',N",N"-tetraacetic acid, or a salt thereof. A complex compound comprising the compound of any one of Claims 1 to 5 and a metallic atom, or a salt thereof. The complex compound of Claim 6, wherein the metallic atom is a paramagnetic metallic atom, or a salt thereof. The complex compound of Claim 7, wherein the metallic atom is selected from the group consisting of gadolinium (III), terbium (III), dysprosium (III), holmium (III), erbium (III) and iron (III). A pharmaceutical composition comprising the complex compound of any one of Claims 6 to 8 or a salt thereof. A diagnostic agent comprising the complex compound or a salt thereof of any one of claims 6 to 8. The diagnostic agent of claim 10 for arterial sclerosis, comprising the complex compound or a salt thereof of claim 7 or 8. The diagnostic agent of claim 10 for liver tumor, comprising the complex compound or a salt thereof of claim 7 or 8. The diagnostic agent of claim 10 for imaging a lesion comprising the complex compound or a salt thereof of claim 6.

Inventors: IMAGAWA TAKASHI, KINDAICHI SHOGEN, KOZUKA TAKAHIRO, MARUKAWA TARO, MIYAGI IKUKO, MORI FUMIO, MUKAI HIROMICHI, MURAKAMI KAZUKI, OKANO TADASHI, SHINTOME MASAKAZU, IMAGAWA, TAKASHI, KINDAICHI, SHOGEN, KOZUKA, TAKAHIRO, MARUKAWA, TARO, MIYAGI, IKUKO, MORI, FUMIO, MUKAI, HIROMICHI, MURAKAMI, KAZUKI, OKANO, TADASHI, SHINTOME, MASAKAZU, IMAGAWA, TAKASHI, THE GREEN CROSS CORPORATION, MIYAGI, IKUKO, THE GREEN CROSS CORPORATION, MORI, FUMIO, THE GREEN CROSS CORPORATION CENTRAL, MUKAI, HIROMICHI, THE GREEN CROSS CORPORATION, MURAKAMI, KAZUKI, THE GREEN CROSS CORPORATION, OKANO, TADASHI, THE GREEN CROSS CORPORATION, SHINTOME, MASAKAZU, THE GREEN CROSS CORPORATION
Applicants: WELFIDE CORP, WELFIDE CORPORATION
Application year: 1993
Main classification: C07C229
IPC codes: C07C229, A61K49, C07C237