Evaluation of 99mTc(CO)5I as a potential lung perfusion agent

Green synthesis, radioiodination and in vivo biodistribution of 5-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-2,4-dihydro-3H-pyrazol-3-one derivatives as potential candidates for lung imaging

Lung targeting was developed by synthesising pyrazolone derivatives 6a-f under solvent-free and thermal conditions by reacting azo coumarins 4a-c with hydrazines 5a and b using maltose as a biodegradable catalyst. Different spectral data characterized the synthesized agents as proton-NMR, FT-IR, and mass spectra. Direct radioiodination with iodine-131 was performed and optimized to reach the highest radiochemical purities (92 ± 0.47 to 98 ± 0.21%) using chloramine-T, a moderate oxidizing agent. The 131I-pyrazolone derivatives were confirmed based on HRMS. Furthermore, radioiodinated nitro-derivatives accumulated well in the lung of normal mice during in vivo evaluation, and the better uptake was for nitrophenyl-derivative 7f, about 30.06 ± 0.04% at 30 min after injection. Consequently, synthesized radioiodinated derivatives may be employed as prospective tracers for lung perfusion scans.

Influence of the organic cation on the formation of hexahalotechnetates: X-ray, thermal and comparative analyses of non-covalent interactions

In this work, we have reviewed non-covalent interactions in technetium hexahalide compounds and obtained eight new compounds of the CatnTcHal6 type, where Cat = dimethylammonium, tetramethylammonium, caffeinium, benzothiazolium, nicotinamidium, and pyrazolium, and Hal = Cl, Br. SCXRD studies were carried out for new compounds. In some compounds, halide anions and/or crystallization water were present. In the compounds obtained, an essential influence on the formation of structures and crystal packing is exerted by the molecules of crystallization water and halide ions. Diethylammonium and nicotinamidium compounds, whose structures do not contain other ions and contain sufficiently strong non-covalent interactions, best bind hexahalotechnetates. π-Stacking interactions, anion-π interactions, and halogen bonds were found in the structures. The percentage contribution of the H⋯Hal/Hal⋯H interactions in the transition from fluorine to bromine in TcHal62- anions decreases, while the contribution of interactions of other types increases. The greatest variety of interactions in anions is observed for compounds of caffeinium and nicotinamidium with TcBr62-. The paper considers the processes of thermolysis of some new and previously known CatnTcHal6 compounds with various cations. It is shown that the thermal stability of the compounds is only due to the properties of the organic cation and does not depend on the nature of the halogen. The proposed stages of the process of thermolysis of the TcHal62- anion, accompanied by the reduction of technetium to metal, have been established.

Synthesis and evaluation of new mixed "2 + 1" Re, 99mTc and 186Re tricarbonyl dithiocarbamate complexes with different monodentate ligands

A series of "2 + 1" mixed ligand tricarbonyl complexes of the general formula fac-[Re/^99mTc/¹⁸⁶Re(CO)₃(DDTC)(L)] containing diethyldithiocarbamate (DDTC) as a monoanionic bidentate ligand and a series of monodentate ligands L was synthesized, characterized and evaluated. The impact of ligand L on the radiochemical yield (RCY) and biodistribution of the final compounds was also investigated. DDTC and the appropriate L ligand [cyclohexyl isocyanide (cisc), tert-butyl isocyanide (tbi), triphenylphosphine (PPh₃), methyldiphenylphosphine (PPh₂Me), triphenylarsine (AsPh₃), imidazole (im), and 4-aminopyridine (4AP)] readily reacted in equimolar amounts with the [Et₄N]₂[Re(CO)₃Br₃] precursor to afford fac-[Re(CO)₃(DDTC)(cisc)], Re1, fac-[Re(CO)₃(DDTC)(tbi)], Re2, fac-[Re(CO)₃(DDTC)(PPh₃)], Re3, fac-[Re(CO)₃(DDTC)(PPh₂Me)], Re4, fac-[Re(CO)₃(DDTC)(AsPh₃)], Re5, fac-[Re(CO)₃(DDTC)(im)], Re6 and fac-[Re(CO)₃(DDTC)(4AP)], Re7, complexes in high yields (>80%). All Re complexes were fully characterized by IR, NMR, and in addition Re4, Re5, and Re7 with X-ray crystallography. Analogous reactions as performed with Re were subsequently explored on the ^99mTc and ¹⁸⁶Re-tracer levels using the corresponding fac-[^99mTc/¹⁸⁶Re(CO)₃(H₂O)₃]⁺ precursor. Complexes ^99mTc1 - ^99mTc5, ¹⁸⁶Re1 and ¹⁸⁶Re3 were obtained in high radiochemical yield (>91%), while the complexes ^99mTc6, ^99mTc7 and ¹⁸⁶Re7 formed with radiochemical yields of 55%, 28%, and 75%, respectively. The ^99mTc and ¹⁸⁶Re-complexes were characterized by comparative HPLC analysis using the analogous Re complexes. During histidine and cysteine challenge experiments at 37 °C through 6 h, complexes ^99mTc1 - ^99mTc5 remained > 92% stable, while complexes ^99mTc6 and ^99mTc7 remained only 8% stable through 3 h. Similar studies for ¹⁸⁶Re-complexes showed that ¹⁸⁶Re1 and ¹⁸⁶Re3 remained > 95% stable for up to 48 h, while ¹⁸⁶Re7 had decreased to 7% after 3 h. LogD_7.4 data of ^99mTc1 - ^99mTc5, ¹⁸⁶Re1, and ¹⁸⁶Re3 complexes, which ranged from 2.59 to 3.39, suggested high lipophilicity. Biodistribution studies in healthy Swiss albino mice showed hepatobiliary excretion for ^99mTc1, ^99mTc2, and ^99mTc4, fast blood clearance for ^99mTc4, while high liver uptake and retention for ^99mTc3 and ^99mTc5 were measured. Moreover, ^99mTc2 showed high accumulation in the lungs with sustained retention (52.80% ID/g at 4 h p.i.) and significant brain uptake at 2 min p.i. (1.89% ID/g). The study showed the great influence of monodentate ligand in the synthesis and biodistribution of the mixed ligand complexes.

The influence of gas purification and addition of macro amounts of metal-carbonyl complexes on the formation of single-atom metal-carbonyl-complexes

Using the Fast On-line Reaction Apparatus (FORA), the influence of various gas-purification columns onto the formation of metal carbonyl complexes (MCCs) under single-atom chemistry conditions was investigated. MCCs were synthesized from single atoms of Mo, Tc, Ru and Rh being produced by the spontaneous fission of 252Cf and recoiling into a CO-gas containing carrier gas atmosphere. The in-situ synthesized MCCs were volatile enough to be transported by the carrier gas to a charcoal trap where they were adsorbed and their subsequent decay was registered by γ-spectrometry. It was found that the type and combination of purification columns used to clean the applied CO-gas strongly influences the obtained formation and transport yields for all MCCs. With the exception of Rh-carbonyl, intense gas-purification strategies resulted in reduced formation and transport yields for MCCs in comparison with less efficient or even completely missing purification setups. It was postulated that the observed reduction in yield might depend on the content of Fe(CO)5 and Ni(CO)4, as well as potentially other MCCs, in the CO-gas, being formed by the interaction between CO and the steel-surfaces of FORA as well as from impurities in the used charcoal traps. Subsequently, it was shown that macro amounts of Fe(CO)5, Ni(CO)4, Mo(CO)6 and Re2(CO)10 added to the used process gas indeed increase significantly the overall yields for MCCs produced by 252Cf fission products. Ni(CO)4 appeared the most potent to increase the yield. Therefore, it was used in more detailed investigations. Using isothermal chromatography, it was shown that Ni(CO)4 does not affect the speciation of carbonyl species produced by the 252Cf fission product 104Mo. For 107Tc, 110Ru and 111Rh a speciation change cannot be excluded. For 111Rh a speciation change cannot be excluded. An inter-carbonyl transfer mechanism is suggested boosting the formation of MCCs. The current discovery might allow for new opportunities in various research fields, which are currently restricted by the low overall yields for MCCs produced under single-atom chemistry conditions. Examples are the chemical investigation of transactinides or the generation of radioactive ion beams from refractory metals at accelerators.

The influence of physical parameters on the in-situ metal carbonyl complex formation studied with the Fast On-line Reaction Apparatus (FORA)

The Fast On-line Reaction Apparatus (FORA) was used to investigate the influence of various reaction parameters onto the formation and transport of metal carbonyl complexes (MCCs) under single-atom chemistry conditions. FORA is based on a 252Cf-source producing short-lived Mo, Tc, Ru and Rh isotopes. Those are recoiling from the spontaneous fission source into a reaction chamber flushed with a gas-mixture containing CO. Upon contact with CO, fission products form volatile MCCs which are further transported by the gas stream to the detection setup, consisting of a charcoal trap mounted in front of a HPGe γ-detector. Depending on the reaction conditions, MCCs are formed and transported with different efficiencies. Using this setup, the impact of varying physical parameters like gas flow, gas pressure, kinetic energy of fission products upon entering the reaction chamber and temperature of the reaction chamber on the formation and transport yields of MCCs was investigated. Using a setup similar to FORA called Miss Piggy, various gas mixtures of CO with a selection of noble gases, as well as N2 and H2, were investigated with respect to their effect onto MCC formation and transport. Based on this measurements, optimized reaction conditions to maximize the synthesis and transport of MCCs are suggested. Explanations for the observed results supported by simulations are suggested as well.

The influence of chemical parameters on the in-situ metal carbonyl complex formation studied with the fast on-line reaction apparatus (FORA)

A new setup named Fast On-line Reaction Apparatus (FORA) is presented which allows for the efficient investigation and optimization of metal carbonyl complex (MCC) formation reactions under various reaction conditions. The setup contains a 252Cf-source producing short-lived Mo, Tc, Ru and Rh isotopes at a rate of a few atoms per second by its 3% spontaneous fission decay branch. Those atoms are transformed within FORA in-situ into volatile metal carbonyl complexes (MCCs) by using CO-containing carrier gases. Here, the design, operation and performance of FORA is discussed, revealing it as a suitable setup for performing single-atom chemistry studies. The influence of various gas-additives, such as CO2, CH4, H2, Ar, O2, H2O and ambient air, on the formation and transport of MCCs was investigated. O2, H2O and air were found to harm the formation and transport of MCCs in FORA, with H2O being the most severe. An exception is Tc, for which about 130 ppmv of H2O caused an increased production and transport of volatile compounds. The other gas-additives were not influencing the formation and transport efficiency of MCCs. Using an older setup called Miss Piggy based on a similar working principle as FORA, it was additionally investigated if gas-additives are mostly affecting the formation or only the transport stability of MCCs. It was found that mostly formation is impacted, as MCCs appear to be much less sensitive to reacting with gas-additives in comparison to the bare Mo, Tc, Ru and Rh atoms.

Radioiodination, diagnostic nuclear imaging and bioevaluation of olmesartan as a tracer for cardiac imaging

The present work has been oriented to prepare radioiodinated olmesartan for a potential cardiac imaging. Olmesartan has been labeled using 125I or 131I with N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) as an oxidizing agent. Many factors like amount of N-bromosuccinimide, amount of substrate, pH, reaction temperature and reaction time, have been systematically studied to optimize high yield of [125I]iodoolmesartan. The biological distribution indicates the suitability of [125I]iodoolmesartan as a novel tracer to image heart.

Preparation of 99mTc(CO)3-TPPS4 and its biological behavior evaluation

99mTc(CO)3-TPPS4 was prepared via the precursor [99mTc(CO)3(H2O)3]+ and a preliminary investigation on its stability and behavior in Hep2 tumor cells and hepatoma-bearing mice were conducted. Labeling yield and stability of 99mTc(CO)3-TPPS4 was radioactively analyzed by paper chromatography. Hep2 tumor cells were incubated with 99mTc(CO)3-TPPS4 complex system in the substrate and isolated from the substrate for radioactivity count. Then 99mTc(CO)3-TPPS4 complex system was intravenously injected in hepatoma-bearing mice and directly injected in tumor tissue of the mice. Mice were photographed using SPECT. Labeling yields of 99mTc(CO)3-TPPS4 were more than 90% at pH = 7–8, 30 min, in a boiling bath, and it was stable for at least 14 h at pH = 2–8, rt ~95 °C. The uptake of 99mTc(CO)3-TPPS4 in HepG2 tumor cells was only 3–4% with the maximum uptake-time of 20 min. The SPECT images of hepatoma-bearing nude mice showed no uptake or little retention of 99mTc(CO)3-TPPS4 in the tumor tissue. Then the differences between 99mTc(CO)3-TPPS4 and TPPS4 were analyzed by fluoroscopy and molecular structure. It was found that the paper chromatography, HepG2 tumor cell uptake and the optimized porphyrin ring conformation of 99mTc(CO)3-TPPS4 were quite different from those of TPPS4. It was indicated that 99mTc(CO)3-TPPS4 had no uptake or little retention in hepatic tumors, unlike those biological behaviors of TPPS4. This may be due to the modification of porphyrin ring conformation of TPPS4 by 99mTc(CO)3 core.

Lung perfusion imaging with monosized biodegradable microspheres

After intravenous injection, particles larger than red blood cells will be trapped in the first capillary bed that they encounter. This is the principle of lung perfusion imaging in nuclear medicine, where macroaggregated albumin (MAA) is radiolabeled with (99m)Tc, infused into a patient's arm vein, and then imaged with gamma scintigraphy. Our aim was to evaluate if monosized microspheres could replace (99m)Tc-MAA. Biodegradable poly(L-lactide) microspheres containing chelating bis(picolylamine) end groups were prepared by a flow focusing method on a microfluidic glass chip and were of highly homogeneous size (9.0 +/- 0.4 microm). The microspheres were radiolabeled with [(99m)Tc(H(2)O)(3)(CO)(3)](+) and then evaluated in mice for lung perfusion imaging. Fifteen minutes after injection, 79.6 +/- 3.8% of the injected activity was trapped in the lungs of mice. Monosized biodegradable radioactive microspheres are, thus, appropriate lung perfusion imaging agents. Other sizes of these highly uniform microspheres have the potential to improve diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in diverse areas of medicine.