Radiosynthesis and in vivo evaluation of [I]2-(4-iodophenethyl)-2-methylmalonic acid as a potential radiotracer for detection of apoptosis.

The aim of this study is to synthesize I-labeled 2-(4-iodophenethyl)-2-methylmalonic acid ([I]IMA) for the development of new apoptosis imaging tracer. The optimized radiolabeling procedure provided [I]IMA with high radiochemical yield (75.5 ± 5.2 %) and radiochemical purity (>99 %) within 100 min. Specific radioactivity of [I]IMA was 31.0 MBq/μmol. Biodistribution study of [I]IMA was carried out using ICR mouse and the result showed the uptake values in apoptotic cells of the testes of the male mice were 1.7-3.2 fold higher than those of leg muscle. Therefore, [I]IMA will be a promising radiotracer for in vivo SPECT imaging of apoptotic cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]