62Zn-EDDA: a radiopharmaceutical for pancreatic functional diagnosis

As Zn is closely associated with the exocrine and endocrine functions of the pancreas, exploitation of Zn metabolism for anatomical and functional diagnosis was conceived, namely with the recent availability of positron emitting 62Zn (t1/2 = 9 h). In the present paper, response changes in Zn biodistribution (mice) and Zn excretion through the pancreatic duct (rats) due to the stimulation of gastro-intestinal hormones like secretin, CCK-PZ (exocrine stimulation) and glucose (endocrine stimulation) were studied. Under these stimuli, the pancreatic secretion of radioactive Zn through cannulated pancreatic duct showed increased Zn secretion only under the CCK-PZ effect, 3 h post 65Zn (t1/2 = 270 d) injection. Tissue biodistribution in mice pre-injected with 65Zn showed pancreas specific decrease of radioactive Zn whenever a gastro-intestinal hormone was post-administered, whereas the glucose effect was negligible. Thus, the effective mobilization of the injected radioactive Zn, upon exocrine stimulation, represented by CCK-PZ, favored the exploration of a functional study of the pancreas with the positron computed tomograph (PCT) using short lived nuclide labeled 62Zn-EDDA in dog. Evidence of the applicability of this system in regional function studies of the pancreas was obtained. Demonstration of Zn participation in the exocrine function of the pancreas in-vivo holds considerable promise for diagnosis of pancreatic diseases.