Preparation and preliminary bioevaluation of 68Ga-oxine in lipiodol as a potential liver imaging agent

Lipiodol functions as an embolizing agent for trans-arterial embolization and is used to deliver localized doses of chemotherapeutic drugs as well as ionizing radiation to cancerous tissue of the liver. Therefore, an attempt was made to prepare ⁶⁸Ga-labeled lipiodol, which may have potential as a PET radiotracer for imaging of liver cancer. ⁶⁸Ga-labeled lipiodol was prepared by a two-step procedure involving formation of highly lipophilic ⁶⁸Ga-oxine complex followed by its dispersion in lipiodol. Preliminary biological evaluation in normal Wistar rats revealed satisfactory hepatic retention with insignificant uptake in any other major organ/tissue indicating promising potential of the agent.