Synthesis of a bis-(N-butyl-dithiocarbamato)-nitrido 99mTc complex: A potential new brain imaging agent

The bis(N-butyl dithiocarbamato) nitrido ^99mTc complex [^99mTcN(BDTC)₂] (BDTC: N-butyl dithiocarbamato) has been synthesized through a ligand-exchange reaction. The two-step procedure consisted of an initial reaction of ^99mTcO₄ ⁻ with succinic dihydrazide (SDH) in the presence of stannous chloride as reducing agent and propylenediamine tetraacetic acid (PDTA) as complexing agent, and subsequent addition of sodium salt of N-butyl dithiocarbamate. The radiochemical purity of the complex was over 90%, as measured by thin layer chromatography. No decomposition of the complex at room temperature was observed over a period of 6 hours. Its partition coefficient indicated that it was a lipophilic complex. The electrophoresis results showed the complex was neutral. Biodistribution in mice showed that the complex accumulated in the brain with high uptake. The brain/blood ratio was 1.58, 1.67 and 1.20 at 5, 30 and 60-minute post-injection, respectively, suggesting this compound would be a potential cerebral imaging agent.     

Synthesis of 99m TcN(IPDTC)2 and its biodistribution in mice

In order to seek a new class of brain perfusion imaging agent containing[ ^99m TcN]²+ core, the bis(N-isopropyl dithiocarbamato)nitrido technetium-99m complex [ ^99m TcN(IPDTC)₂ ] (IPDTC:N-isopropyldithiocarbamato) has been synthesized through a simple and efficient method,which can be utilized for the preparation of a radiopharmaceutical througha lyophilized formulation. The radiochemical purity of the complex was over90% determined by thin layer chromatography. No decomposition of the complexwas observed at room temperature over a period of 12 hours. Its partitioncoefficient indicated that it was a good lipophilic complex. Biodistributionin mice demonstrated that the complex was significantly retained into thebrain. The brain uptake (ID%/g) was 3.90, 2.67 and 1.54 and the brain/bloodratios were 1.26, 1.06 and 0.85 at 5, 30 and 60-minute post-injection, respectively.The results showed that the complex may lead to a further development of theradiopharmaceutical as a brain perfusion tracer.     

Synthesis and biodistribution of a novel <Superscript>99m</Superscript>Tc nitrido dithiocarbamate complex containing ether group as a potential myocardial and brain imaging agent

In the present study, a novel ^99mTc nitrido dithiocarbamate complex containing ether group, the bis(2-ethoxyethyl dithiocarbamato) nitrido ^99mTc complex ^99mTcN(EOEDTC)₂ has been synthesized by the reduction of ^99mTcO₄ ⁻ into [^99mTcN]²⁺ with stannous chloride in the presence of succinic dihydrazide and propylenediamine tetraacetic acid, followed by the addition of the corresponding dithiocarbamate ligand. The radiochemical purity of the complex was over 90% as measured by thin layer chromatography (TLC). In vitro studies showed that the complex possessed good stability. Its partition coefficient indicated that it was lipophilic complex. The electrophoresis results showed the complex was neutral. Biodistribution in mice showed that the complex accumulated in the heart and brain with high initial uptake, suggesting the complex may lead to a further development of the radiopharmaceutical as a heart and brain perfusion tracer.     

Synthesis and biodistribution of 99mTcN(CHIPDTC)2 as a potential myocardial perfusion imaging agent

The bis(N-cyclohexyl, N-isopropyl dithiocarbamato) nitrido technetium-99m complex [^99mTcN(CHIPDTC)₂] (CHIPDTC: N-cyclohexyl, N-isopropyl dithiocarbamato) has been synthesized through a ligand-exchange reaction. The two-step procedure involved the initial reaction of ^99mTcO₄ ^- with succinic dihydrazide (SDH) in the presence of stannous chloride as reducing agent and propylenediamine tetraacetic acid (PDTA) as complexant, followed by the addition of the sodium salt of N-cyclohexyl, N-isopropyl dithiocarbamate. The radiochemical purity (RCP) of the complex was 96±2% as measured by thin layer chromatography (TLC). No decomposition of the complex at room temperature (r. t.) was observed within a period of 6 hours. Its partition coefficient indicated that it was a lipophilic complex. The electrophoresis results showed that the complex was neutral. Biodistribution in mice indicated that the complex accumulated in the heart with high uptake and good retention. The heart/blood, heart/lung ratio was 6.28 and 1.35, respectively, at 60-minute post-injection, suggesting that it would be a potential myocardial perfusion imaging agent.     

Synthesis of 99mTc(CO)3-NOET via [99mTc(OH2)3(CO)3]+ precursor and comparative biological studies with 99mTcN-noet

Summary The organometallic precursor fac-[^99mTc(CO)₃(H₂O)₃]⁺ was reacted with N-ethoxy, N-ethyl dithiocarbamate (NOET) in phosphate buffered saline (pH 7.4) at room temperature for 30 minutes to produce the ^99mTc(CO)₃-NOET complex. The radiochemical purity (RCP) of the product was over 90% as measured by thin layer chromatography (TLC). No decomposition of the complex at room temperature (RT) was observed over a period of 6 hours. Its partition coefficient indicated that it was a lipophilic complex. The biodistribution comparison in mice of the ^99mTc(CO)₃-NOET complex and the ^99mTcN-NOET complex showed that the former had a lower heart and brain uptake as compared to that of the latter, suggesting the incorporation of the [^99mTc(CO)₃]⁺ core into the NOET ligand does not improve the biological features as a myocardial imaging agent.     

Synthesis and biodistribution of <Superscript>99m</Superscript>TcN-isopentyl xanthate as a potential myocardial perfusion imaging agent

A novel ^99mTc nitrido xanthate complex ^99mTcN(IPEXT)₂ (IPEXT: isopentyl xanthate) has been synthesized by the reduction of ^99mTcO₄ ⁻ into [^99mTcN]²⁺ with stannous chloride in the presence of succinic dihydrazide and propylenediamine tetraacetic acid, followed by the addition of the corresponding xanthate ligand. The radiochemical purity of the complex was over 90% as measured by thin layer chromatography (TLC). No decomposition of the complex at room temperature was observed over a period of 6 hours. Its partition coefficient indicated that it was a lipophilic complex. The electrophoresis results showed the complex was neutral. Biodistribution in mice showed that the ^99mTcN(IPEXT)₂ complex accumulated in the heart with high uptake. The heart uptake (%IDg) was 8.00% at 5-minute post-injection, but the heart/lung, heart/liver and heart/blood ratios were not high, thereby, restricting the use of the complex as a good myocardial imaging agent.     

Synthesis and biodistribution of the <Superscript>99m</Superscript>Tc(CO)<Subscript>3</Subscript>-DEDT complex as a potential new radiopharmaceutical for brain imaging

The ^99mTc(CO)₃(H₂O)-DEDT complex was prepared by a two-step procedure involving the preparation of the precursor fac-[^99mTc(CO)₃(H₂O)₃]⁺, followed by the addition of sodium salt of diethyl dithiocarbamate (DEDT). The radiochemical purity (RCP) of the product was over 90% as measured by thin layer chromatography (TLC). No decomposition of the complex at room temperature was observed over a period of 6 hours. Its partition coefficient indicated that it was a lipophilic complex. The electrophoresis results showed the complex was neutral. Biodistribution in mice demonstrated that the complex can penetrate the intact blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the brain uptake (ID%/g) was 4.22 at 5-minute post-injection, suggesting the complex may lead to a further development of the radiopharma ceutical as a brain perfusion tracer.     

Preparation and biodistribution study of technetium-99m-labeled quercetin as a potential radical scavenging agent

Free radicals and oxidative stress are the primary causes of several chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Quercetin is a natural compound with potent antioxidant activity. We have prepared and evaluated technetium-99m (^99mTc)-labeled quercetin as a potential radical scavenging radiotracer. A ^99mTc-quercetin complex was prepared using quercetin, SnCl₂ and Na^99mTcO₄ in a buffered solution over 30 min. The participation coefficient was measured in octanol and queues solutions. The stability was determined in phosphate buffered saline and serum. The biodistribution in normal mice was evaluated at 0.5, 2, 6 and 24 h post-injection. The radiochemical purity (>99%) was determined by thin layer chromatography (TLC) in normal saline solution as the mobile phase. It has a log P of 0.204. It was mainly cleared by the kidneys and showed negligible brain uptake at four time points measured post-injection. The pharmacological properties of quercetin, mainly its free radical scavenging, may potentially cat as a radiopharmaceutical agent for radical-targeted imaging of tissue with high levels of reactive oxygen species.     

Synthesis and biodistribution of a novel <Superscript>99m</Superscript>Tc-DMSA-metronidazole ester as a potential tumor hypoxia imaging agent

The dimercaptosuccinic acid metronidazole ester (DMSAMe) was synthesized and radiolabeled with ^99mTc to form the ^99mTc-DMSAMe complex in high yield. The radiochemical purity of the ^99mTc-DMSAMe complex was over 90%, as measured by TLC and by HPLC, without any notable decomposition at room temperature over a period of 6 h. Its partition coefficient indicated that it was a lipophilic complex. The tumor cell experiment and the biodistribution in mice bearing S 180 tumor showed that the ^99mTc-DMSAMe complex had a certain hypoxic selectivity and accumulated in the tumor with high uptake and good retention. The tumor/blood and tumor/muscle ratios increased with time, suggesting it would be a possible tumor hypoxia imaging agent.     

Synthesis,characterization and biodistribution of 99mTc-Bioquin-HMPAO (99mTc-BH) as a novel brain imaging agent

Recently, the development of novel brain imaging agents has aroused much interest thanks to limited number of brain cancer or diseases diagnosis agents. It is aimed to synthesize a novel brain imaging agent including a promise for further studies on AD diagnosis potential and investigate its bioaffinity with biodistribution studies on healthy Balb/c mice. A novel radiolabeled agent was synthesized and characterized. Quality control of ^99mTc-BH was performed utilizing solvent extraction and chromatographic (Radio TLC and Radio HPLC) methods. Bioaffinity of the ^99mTc-BH was investigated on male Balb/c mice at various time points (5, 30, 60, 120 min post-injection). Paper electrophoresis showed that ^99mTc-BH has a neutral structure. Radiochemical purity of ^99mTc-BH was over 95 % with appropriate stability for imaging period. Selected brain regions have uptakes over 4 % ID/g following intravenous injection. Hippocampus has uptake approximately 10 % ID/g. ^99mTc-BH has shown brain uptake, so it may prove to be valuable for brain imaging as a novel technetium-labeled agent. Further investigations with AD animal model are our on going effort to show that this agent has AD diagnosis potential.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of <Superscript>99m</Superscript>Tc-HEDTA/HYNIC-MPP4 complex for 5-HT<Subscript>1A</Subscript> receptor imaging

5-HT_1A receptor is associated with a variety of pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders. Accordingly, we have synthesized a new 5-HT_1A receptor ligand (HYNIC-MPP4) and labeled it with ^99mTc using N-(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylenediaminetriacetic acid (HEDTA) as coligand. ^99mTc-HEDTA/HYNIC-MPP4 was prepared under pH 6 at room temperature. Biodistribution of 99mTc-HEDTA/HYNIC-MPP4 in normal mice showed that this complex had moderate brain uptake (0.60% ID·g⁻¹ at 2 min p.i.) and good retention. The hippocampus had the highest radioactivity uptake at 2 min p.i. (1.84% ID⋆g⁻¹). The ratio of Hipp/CB was 3.1 at 2 min p.i. and increased to 4.4 at 60 min p.i. After blocking with 8-hydroxy-2-(dipropylamino) tetralin, the uptake of hippocampus was decreased significantly from 1.84% ID·g⁻¹ to 0.53% ID·g⁻¹ at 2 min p.i., while the cerebellum had no significant decrease. This ^99mTc complex could be a potent agent for 5-HT_1A receptor imaging. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 20401004) and the Analysis and Test fund of Beijing Normal University     

Synthesis of 99mTc-oxybutynin for M3-receptor-mediated imaging of urinary bladder

Radiolabeling of oxybutynin, a muscarinic acetylcholine (mACh) receptor antagonist agent with ^99mTc is of considerable interest for imaging of urinary bladder. This study is aimed to optimize radiolabeling yield of oxybutynin with ^99mTc using SnCl₂·2H₂O as a reducing agent with respect to factors that affect the reaction conditions such as oxybutynin amount, stannous chloride amount, reaction time and pH of the reaction mixture. In vitro stability of the radiolabeled complex was checked and it was found to be stable for up to 8 h. ^99mTc-oxybutynin was injected via subcutaneous and intravenous administration routes into normal Sprague?CDawley rats. Biodistribution studies have revealed that ^99mTc-oxybutynin exhibits high affinity and specificity for the muscarinic M₃ subtype located on the smooth muscle of urinary bladder relative to the M₁ and M₂ subtypes of the G protein coupled receptor (GPCR) superfamily. In vivo uptake of subcutaneous ^99mTc-oxybutynin in urinary bladder was 19.6 ± 0.42% ID at 0.5 h, whereas in intravenous administration route the accumulation in the urinary bladder was found to be 9.4 ± 0.31% ID at 0.5 h post injection. Administration of cold oxybutynin effectively blocked urinary bladder uptake and further confirms the high specificity of this complex for the M₃ receptor.     

Synthesis, biodistribution and evaluation of 99mTc-sitafloxacin kit: a novel infection imaging agent

Radiosynthesis of ^99mTc-sitafloxacin (^99mTc-STF) complex and its efficacy as a potential infection imaging agent was evaluated. Effect of sitafloxacin (STF) concentration, sodium pertechnetate (Na^99mTcO₄), stannous chloride dihydrate (SnCl₂·2H₂O), and pH on the % radiochemical purity yield (RCP) of ^99mTc-STF complex was studied. A stable ^99mTc-STF complex up to 120 min with maximum %RCP yield was observed by mixing 2 mg of STF with 3 mCi of Na^99mTcO₄ and 150 μL of SnCl₂·2H₂O (1 μg/μL in 0.01 N HCl) at a pH 5.5. Artificially infected rats with Staphylococcus aureus were used for studying the biodistribution behavior of the ^99mTc-STF complex. After 30 min of the intravenous (I.V.) administration of the ^99mTc-STF complex, 7.50 ± 0.10% was absorbed in the infected thigh of the rats and the uptake gradually increased to 18.50 ± 0.20% within 90 min. Rabbits with artificially induced infection were used for evaluating the scintigraphic accuracy. Higher uptake in the infected thigh was observed after 2 h of I.V. administration of the ^99mTc-STF complex. Target to non-target organ ratio of the % absorbed dose incase of infected/normal muscle was 6.82 ± 0.40, 17.11 ± 0.60, and 23.13 ± 1.00% at 30, 60 and 90 min of administration. Stable and higher %RCP, higher uptake in the infected thigh, and spectral studies, recommend the ^99mTc-STF for routine infection imaging.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of <Superscript>99m</Superscript>Tc-DHPM complex: a potential new radiopharmaceutical for lung imaging studies

In the recent years interests on dihydropyrimidinone and their analogues have increased potentially due to their wide range of pharmacological/biological activities. Synthesis, radiolabeling with technetium-99 m (^99mTc) and biological evaluation of 5-etoxycarbonyl-4-phenyl-6-methyl-3,4-dihydro-(1H)-pyrimidine-2-one (DHPM) were studied in this present work. After synthesis complexation of DHPM with ^99mTc was carried out using stannous chloride as the reducing agent. The complex (^99mTc-DHPM) was characterized by thin layer chromatography, radio-HPLC technique and determination of partition co-efficient. Radiochemical stability and particle size distribution of the complex were also measured. Biodistribution/scintigraphy studies were performed in rats and rabbits to evaluate the pharmacological characteristics of this complex. The radiochemical purity of the complex was over 95% as studied by thin layer chromatography and radio-HPLC. It was stable over 24 h at room temperature. Its partition coefficient indicated that it was a lipophilic complex. According to the European Pharmacopeia, >80% of ^99mTc labeled radiopharmaceutical (^99mTc-MAA) in the size range 10–50 μm, must be accumulated in the lungs 15 min after intravenous administration. In this study >85% of the ^99mTc-DHPM complex in the average size of 40 μm. Biodistribution studies of ^99mTc-DHPM in rat revealed that the complex accumulated in the lung with high uptake and good retention after intravenous administration. Scintigraphic studies in rabbit also revealed that most of the administered radiolabeled complex was accumulated in the lungs and after 1 h slowly excreted through the renal system. The lung uptake (ID%/g) was 10.12, 9.67, 8.60 and 5.01 and the lung/liver ratio was 7.49, 2.88, 2.62 and 1.87 at 2, 15, 30 and 60 min post-injection, respectively. These results suggested that ^99mTc-DHPM could be suitable as a potential lung perfusion imaging agent. Further studies with ^99mTc-DHPM and its derivatives are warranted to develop new ^99mTc-labeled imaging agents for clinical applications.     

Comparison of some physicochemical and pharmacokinetical parameters of 99mTc-PAH, 99mTc-MAG3 and 131I-OIH

The purpose of this study was to compare some physicochemical characteristics as well as pharmacokinetic behavior of ^99mTc-PAH, as a novel renal agent, with ^99mTc-MAG₃ and ¹³¹I-OIH. ^99mTc-PAH was prepared from lyophilized kit by adding ^99mTcO₄ ^–. Labeled complex was stabile and high radiochemical purity radiopharmaceutical, with a low percentage of protein bound to human albumin and hydrophilic character. In spite of its smaller renal uptake, ^99mTc-PAH gave satisfactory renal images. ^99mTc-PAH showed faster urinary elimination than ^99mTc-MAG₃ and similar to those one for ¹³¹I-OIH. The comparison of pharmacokinetic parameters of ^99mTc-PAH, ^99mTc-MAG₃ and ¹³¹I-OIH indicated the favorable characteristics of ^99mTc-PAH.     

In vitro incorporation studies of 99mTc–alendronate sodium at different bone cell lines

Bisphosphonates can be labeled with Technetium-99m (^99mTc) and are used for bone imaging because of their good localization in the skeleton and rapid clearance from soft tissues. Over the last decades bone scintigraphy has been used extensively in the evaluation of oncological patients to provide information about the sites of bone lesions, their prognosis and the effectiveness of therapy by showing the sequential changes in tracer uptake. Since the lesion visualization and lesion/bone ratio are important utilities for a bone scanning radiopharmaceutic; in this study incorporation of ^99mTc labeled alendronate sodium (^99mTc–ALD) was evaluated in U₂OS (human bone osteosarcoma) and NCI-H209 (human bone carcinoma) cell lines. ALD was directly labeled by ^99mTc, radiochemical purity and stability of the complex were analyzed by radioactive thin layer chromatography and radioactive high performance liquid chromatography studies. For cell incorporation study, NCI-H209 and U₂OS cell lines were used with standard cell culture methods. The six well plates were used for all experiments and the integrity of each cell monolayer was checked by measuring its transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) with an epithelial voltammeter. Results confirmed that ALD was successfully radiolabeled with ^99mTc. ^99mTc–ALD incorporated with NCI-H209 and U₂OS cells. The uptake percentages of ^99mTc–ALD in NCI-H209 and U₂OS cell lines were found significantly different. Since ^99mTc–ALD highly uptake in cancer cell line, the results demonstrated that radiolabeled ALD may be a promising agent for bone cancer diagnosis.     

Evaluation of labelling conditions,quality control and biodistribution study of 99mTc-5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA): a potential liver imaging agent

Labelling of 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) with ^99mTc was achieved by using SnCl₂·2H₂O as reducing agent. Radiochemical purity and labelling efficiency was determined by instant thin layer chromatography/paper chromatography. Efficiency of labelling was dependent on many parameters such as amount of ligand, reducing agent, pH, and time of incubation. ^99mTc labelled 5-ALA remained stable for 24 h in human serum. Tissue biodistribution of ^99mTc-5-ALA was evaluated in Sprague–Dawley rats. Biodistribution study (% ID/g) in rats revealed that ^99mTc-5-ALA was accumulated significantly in liver, spleen, stomach and intestine after half hour, 4 and 24 h. Significant activity was noted in bladder and urine at 4 h. High liver uptake of ^99mTc-5-ALA makes it a promising liver imaging agent.     

Biodistribution and imaging of <Superscript>99m</Superscript>Tc-MAVGG-adenine in tumor bearing mice

To increase the tumor uptake of Val-Gly-Gly (VGG), adenine was introduced into the peptide. N-mercaptoacetyl-VGG-adenine (MAVGG-adenine) and MAVGG were labeled with ^99mTc using a solution of SnCl₂ and tartaric acid as reducing agent. Biodistribution in mice bearing the S180 tumor was measured and γ imaging was performed. Compared with MAVGG, adenine conjugated MAVGG had higher tumor uptake and tumor to normal tissue ratios, which suggested that the tumor uptake property of a peptide may be improved by introducing a nucleotide base. The high contrasted tumor images of ^99mTc-MAVGG-adenine also suggested its potential utility as tumor imaging agent.     

Evaluation and comparison of 99mTc-labeled d-glucosamine derivatives with different 99mTc cores as potential tumor imaging agents

Isocyanide is a strong coordination ligand that can coordinate with [^99mTc(I)(CO)₃]⁺ core and [^99mTc(I)]⁺ core to produce stable ^99mTc complexes, therefore developing a ^99mTc-labeled isocyanide complex for single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging is considered to be of great interest. In order to develop potential tumor imaging agents with satisfied tumor uptake and suitable pharmacokinetic properties in vivo, a novel d -glucosamine isocyanide derivative, 4-isocyano-N-(2,4,5-trihydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)tetrahydro-2H-pyran-3-yl)butanamide (CN3DG), was synthesized and radiolabeled with [^99mTc(I)]⁺ and [^99mTc(CO)₃]⁺ cores to obtain [^99mTc(CN3DG)₆]⁺ and [^99mTc(CO)₃(CN3DG)₃]⁺ in high radiolabeling yields (>95%). Both of the complexes showed good hydrophilicity and great stability in vitro. Cell uptake studies performed in S180 cells demonstrated they were transported into cells by glucose transporters. Biodistribution studies of the two complexes in mice bearing S180 tumor showed they had high tumor uptakes and rapid clearance from muscle and blood so that the tumor/blood and tumor/muscle ratios were high. By comparison, [^99mTc(CN3DG)₆]⁺ was superior to [^99mTc(CO)₃(CN3DG)₃]⁺ in regard to tumor uptake, tumor/blood and tumor/liver ratios. S180 tumors could be seen clearly from the SPECT/CT images with [^99mTc(CN3DG)₆]⁺. Considering its favorable properties, [^99mTc(CN3DG)₆]⁺ would be a promising tumor imaging agent and needs to be further studied.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of a novel 99mTc‐cyclopentadienyltricarbonyl technetium complex as a new potential brain perfusion imaging agent

A new cytectrene prototype of general formula RCpTc(CO)₃ (R = C₆H₅NHCO, Cp = cyclopentadienyl moiety) has been synthesized from N‐phenylferrocenecarboxamide 2 , characterized and evaluated as a potential brain perfusion imaging agent. An improved procedure has been developed to obtain both the ligand 2 , characterized by its solid‐state structure (orthorhombic, Pccn, a = 10.4443(2) Å, b = 26.1467(6) Å, c = 9.9977(3) Å), and the corresponding metallic Tc‐ and Re‐complexes in good yield. These latter complexes possessed similar HPLC retention times, thereby indicating identity of their molecular structures. The Tc‐complex ^99m Tc‐2 is lipophilic enough to cross the blood‐brain barrier. This complex exhibits good brain uptake (1.41% injected dose per gram tissue at 5 min) combined with a fairly good retention of radioactivity in brain (0.48% injected dose per gram tissue after 1 h). Then, the distribution of the activity at 5 min post‐injection in various rat brain regions showed a higher accumulation in the hippocampus area. The new ^99mTc‐cyclopentadienyltricarbonyl technetium complex reported here showed promising biological results, making it an interesting base for the development of a new generation of cytectrene as brain perfusion imaging agent. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.