186Re/188Re labeled polypeptide microspheres as a potential radiation synovectomy agent

Polypeptide microspheres containing polycysteine crosslinked with polylysine were prepared and radiolabeled with¹⁸⁶Re and¹⁸⁸Re. High labeling yields with the microspheres with both¹⁸⁶Re and¹⁸⁸Re (97%) were obtained, and above 99% retention of radiolabels in water in 24 hours was obtained. Rhenum-186 labeled polycysteine and polylysine microspheres (11 ratio, 20 m as mean diameter) were injected intra-articularly into the rear stifes (knee joints) of normal New Zealand white rabbits. About 87% of injected dose was retained in rabbit stifles and adjacent tissues in 96 hours after injection, while most of the activity lost from the joints was excreted in the urine. Due to its simplicity of preparation and radiolabeling, versatility, and biodegradability, this type of conjugate system may become the therapeutics of choice for radiation synovectomy.