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Published on: February 3, 2015
(99m)Tc-EC-guanine: synthesis, biodistribution, and tumor imaging in animals
David J Yang1, Kaoru Ozaki, Chang-Sok Oh
1Division of Diagnostic Imaging, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA. dyang@di.mdacc.tmc.edu
Purpose:
DNA markers are useful in assessing cell proliferation. The purpose of this study was to synthesize (99m)Tc-ethylenedicysteine-guanine (EC-Guan) for evaluation of cell proliferation.
Methods:
Tumor cells were incubated with (99m)Tc-EC-Guan for cell cycle analysis. Prostate tumor cells that were overexpressing the HSV thymidine kinase gene, or various tumor cells were incubated with (99m)Tc-EC-Guan at 0.5-2 h. Thymidine incorporation assays were performed in lung cancer cells incubated with EC-Guan at 0.1-1 mg/well. Tissue distribution, autoradiography, and planar scintigraphy of (99m)Tc-EC-Guan and (99m)Tc-EC (control) were determined in tumor-bearing rodents at 0.5-4 h.
Results:
Cell culture assays indicated that EC-Guan was incorporated in DNA, and there was no significant uptake difference between HSVTK overexpressed and normal groups. Biodistribution and scintigraphic imaging studies of (99m)Tc-EC-Guan showed increased tumor/tissue count density ratios as a function of time.
Conclusions:
Our results indicate that (99m)Tc-EC-Guan may be useful as a tumor proliferation imaging agent.

