Dependence of the Spin-Spin Relaxation Time of Water in Collagen Gels on Collagen Fiber Directions

In this study, we investigated the effect of structural differences in collagen fibers in relation to the spin-spin (T2) relaxation time of surrounding water molecules. We propose a simple experimental model of the magic angle effect based on magnetically oriented collagen gels. Experiments were performed with a 4.7T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system with a quadrature radio frequency coil operated at 200 MHz for 1H resonance. Collagen gels were polymerized from collagen solutions exposed to a 4.7T magnetic field for 120 min. The T2 relaxation time was measured with the Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) sequence. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) was measured with the stimulated echo acquisition mode (STEAM) sequence with a motion-probing gradient (MPG). Orienting the collagen fibers at an angle of about 55 degrees to the main magnetic field caused an increase in the T2 relaxation times of water molecules in the collagen gels. The ADC in the direction parallel to the fibers was larger than that in the direction perpendicular to the fibers. The increase in the T2 relaxation time and ADC are attributed to a change in the magnetic interaction between the water molecules and collagen fibers.