Technetium-99 m labeling and evaluation of olsalazine: a novel agent for ulcerative colitis imaging

Preparation and evaluation of radiolabeled acetaminosalol microspheres: A new potential selective radiotracer for ulcerative colitis early diagnosis

Acetaminosalol labeling reaction with technetium-99m was optimized, and the radiocomplex was obtained in a high radiochemical yield of 98.9 ± 0.6% and high stability (>30 h). The tracer was characterized, and its binding to the PPARγ receptor was assessed in silico. To reduce radiation exposure to non-target organs and increase accumulation in the colon, the tracer was formulated as pH-sensitive microspheres with a mean particle size of 201 ± 2.1 μm, a polydispersity index of 0.18, a 25.3 ± 3.6 zeta potential, and 98.6 ± 0.33% entrapment efficiency. The system suitability was assessed in vivo in normal and ulcerative rats, and the biodistribution profile in the colon showed 56.5 ± 1.4% localization within 4 h. Blocking study suggested the selectivity of the tracer to the target receptor. Overall, the reported data encouraged the potential use of the labeled microspheres to target ulcerative colitis.

Preparation and preliminary evaluation study of [131I]iodocolchicine-gallic-AuNPs: a potential scintigraphic agent for inflammation detection

BACKGROUND

Nanomedicine offers great potential for scintigraphic diagnostic imaging with lower risk and higher quality compared to other traditional techniques.

OBJECTIVES

This work aimed to develop and evaluate gold nanoparticles combined with gallic acid (gallic-AuNPs) and [¹³¹I]iodocolchicine as a scintigraphic probe for inflammation.

METHODS

[¹³¹I]iodocolchicine-gallic-AuNPs were synthesized via chemical reduction method where gallic acid was used as reducing agent and [¹³¹I]iodocolchicine was used as stabilizing agent. Then a characteristic profile for the synthesized nano-platform was performed including size analysis, zeta potential, radiochemical yield and in-vivo biodistribution in inflammation bearing mice.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

This platform was successfully synthesized with good stability, appropriate particle size (10 nm diameter for AuNPs), and high radiochemical purity for [¹³¹I]iodocolchicine (96.79%). The in-vivo study indicated that [¹³¹I]iodocolchicine-gallic-AuNPs accumulated with a high target to non-target ratio in intravenous injection and high retention value in intra-inflammation injection in inflammation model. The obtained data supported the usefulness of the new platform ([¹³¹I]iodocolchicine-gallic-AuNPs) as a tracer for the detection and localization of inflammation.

Radioiodination of balsalazide, bioevaluation, and characterization as a highly selective radiotracer for imaging of ulcerative colitis in mice

This work focuses on tracking ulcerative colitis in mice. High labeling yield and radiochemical purity were achieved for the formation of a [^125/131 I]balsalazide radiotracer at optimum conditions of oxidizing agent content (chloramines-T [Ch-T], 75 μg), substrate amount (100 μg), pH of reaction mixture (6), reaction time (30 min), and temperature (37°C), using radioactive iodine-125 (200-450 MBq). The radiolabeled compound, [^125/131 I]balsalazide, was stable in serum and saline solution during 24 h. Balsalazide is acting as a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPARγ). Biodistribution studies were carried in normal and ulcerated colon mice. High uptake of 75 ± 1.90% injected dose/g organ (ID/g) observed in ulcerated mice confirmed the suitability of [¹³¹ I]balsalazide as a novel radiotracer for ulcerative colitis imaging in mice.

Radiosynthesis and in silico bioevaluation of 131 I-Sulfasalazine as a highly selective radiotracer for imaging of ulcerative colitis

This study demonstrated the tracking of ulcerative colitis, which is considered a stressful immune disease. Although there are many ways to test for this disease including dependence on gases, dyes, and painful anal endoscopy, these treatment modalities have many disadvantages. Hence, it is the utmost need of time to discover new methods to detect this chronic immune disease and to avoid the defects of traditional methodologies. Sulfasalazine (SSD) was labeled with iodine-131 (half-life: 8 days, Energy: 971 keV) under optimum reaction conditions including the amount of reducing agent, pH factor, chloramine-T (Ch-T) amount, and incubation period. Characterization was performed using ¹ H/ ¹³ C-NMR, ESI-MS, and HPLC (UV/ Radio) techniques. The biodistribution study was performed in normal and ulcerative mice models, and in silico molecular docking study was performed to evaluate the possible mechanism of action to target peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ). The high radiolabeling yield of [¹³¹ I]-sulfasalazine ([¹³¹ I]-SSD) was achieved ≥90% through the direct labeling method with radioactive iodine-131 in the presence of chloramine-T (100 μg). The radiotracer [¹³¹ I]-SSD was observed to be stable in normal saline and freshly eluted serum up to 12 hr at ambient temperature (37℃ ± 2℃). The radiotracer [¹³¹ I]-SSD showed the highest uptake in the targeted organ (i.e., ulcerative colon) which was observed to be ≥75% injected dose per gram (% ID/g) organ for 24 hr postinjection (p.i). Furthermore, in silico data collected from molecular modeling analysis of SSD and [¹³¹ I]-SSD with antimicrobial protein (PDB code: 3KEG) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) (PDB code: 4XTA) showed azoreductase activity and high binding potential for PPAR-γ site, respectively. The results of biological studies obtained in this study enlighten the usefulness of radiotracer [¹³¹ I]-SSD as a potential imaging agent for ulcerative colitis.

Radioiodination and biological evaluation of mesalamine as a tracer for ulcerative colitis imaging

This study aims to evaluate newly radioiodinated mesalamine (Mes) as a tracer for ulcerative colitis imaging. Mes was labeled with [125I] with chloramine-T (Ch-T) as the oxidizing agent. Labeling factors such as pH, reaction temperature, reaction time, substrate amount and oxidizing agent amount were investigated to optimize the radiochemical yield (98.5%). The labeled compound was separated and purified using thin layer chromatography (TLC), paper electrophoreses and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The biological distribution indicated that the radioiodinated mesalamine localization was highest (72.28%) in microbial model compared to normal mice (29.25%) at 120 min post injection. So, 125I-Mes could be considered as a new radiotracer for ulcerative colitis.

Labelling, molecular modelling and biological evaluation of vardenafil: a potential agent for diagnostic evaluation of erectile dysfunction

^99mTc-tricarbonyl-vardenafil was specifically radiosynthesized for diagnostic evaluation of erectile dysfunction with a radiochemical yield ~97.2%. It was stable in saline up to 15h and in serum for more than 6h. The radiocomplex was lipophilic with a partition coefficient ~1.32 and plasma protein binding 72-76%. Its structure was determined using molecular mechanics and confirmed by NMR. In-silico docking to its target PDE₅ enzyme was performed. The radiocomplex inhibitory activity was assessed and its IC₅₀ was 0.7nM. Biodistribution in normal rats and biological evaluation in rat models of erectile dysfunction were performed. The results strongly suggested that ^99mTc-tricarbonyl-vardenafil is a good candidate to image erectile dysfunction in humans.

Molecular Imaging in Preclinical Models of IBD with Nuclear Imaging Techniques: State-of-the-Art and Perspectives

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, is characterized by chronic unregulated inflammation of the intestinal mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract. To date, this pathology has no cure. Colonoscopy and biopsies are the current gold standard diagnostic tools. However, being a chronic disease, IBD requires continuous follow-up to check for disease progress, treatment response, and remission. Unfortunately, these 2 diagnostic procedures are invasive and generally unable to show the cellular and molecular changes that take place in vivo. In this context, it is clear that there is a strong need for optimized noninvasive imaging techniques able to overcome the aforementioned limitations. This review aims to bring to light the scientific advancements that have been achieved so far in nuclear medicine in relation to tracking of immune cells involved in the preclinical models of IBD. In particular, this review will explore the advantages and limitations of the radiopharmaceuticals that aim to track whole cells like neutrophils, those that involve the radiolabeling of immune cell substrates or available human IBD medical therapies, and those that aim to track cell signaling molecules (e.g., cytokines and cell adhesion molecules). After a detailed critical summary of the state-of-the art, the challenges and perspectives of molecular imaging applied to IBD studies will be analyzed. Special attention will be paid to the translational potential of the described techniques and on the potential impact of these innovative approaches on the drug discovery pipelines and their contribution to the evolution of personalized medicine.