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Updated: Jul 13, 2026
Fluorescence-mediated Tomography for the Detection and Quantification of Macrophage-related Murine Intestinal Inflammation
Published on: December 15, 2017
PET imaging of infection with a HYNIC-conjugated LTB4 antagonist labeled with F-18 via hydrazone formation
Huub J J M Rennen1, Peter Laverman, Julliëtte E M van Eerd
1Department of Nuclear Medicine, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, PO Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands. h.rennen@nucmed.umcn.nl
Unlabelled:
It was previously shown that the (99m)Tc-labeled hydrazinonicotinamide (HYNIC)-conjugated LTB4 antagonist MB81 visualized infectious foci in rabbits adequately and within a few hours after injection. Here, the bivalent HYNIC-conjugated LTB4 antagonist MB67 (analog of MB81) was fluorinated with (18)F via hydrazone formation and tested in vivo.
Methods:
MB67 was [(18)F]-fluorinated via reaction of the [(18)F]-fluorinated intermediate p-[(18)F]-fluorobenzaldehyde ([(18)F]FB) and the HYNIC moiety of MB67 via hydrazone formation. For comparison, MB67 was also labeled with (99m)Tc. The biodistribution of (18)F- and (99m)Tc-labeled MB67 was investigated in rabbits with intramuscular infection.
Results:
[(18)F]-MB67 was obtained at a maximum specific activity of 1200 GBq/mmol and proved to be stable in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) at 37 degrees C for at least 4 h. PET images obtained with [(18)F]-MB67 clearly delineated the abscess at 2 and 4 h pi. Counting of dissected tissues at 4 h pi revealed an abscess uptake of 0.073+/-0.005 %ID/g, as compared to 0.160+/-0.010 %ID/g for the (99m)Tc-labeled analog. Abscess-to-muscle ratios were 23+/-4 for [(18)F]-MB67 and 35+/-9 for [(99m)Tc]-MB67.
Conclusion:
The present study showed the feasibility of a new [(18)F]-labeling methodology and its application in the production of a new PET tracer for imaging of infection, [(18)F]-MB67.
