Synthesis and Preliminary Biological Evaluation of 99mTc Tricarbonyl Ropinirole as a Potential Brain Imaging Agent

Abstract

Ropinirole, a non-ergoline dopamine agonist, was labeled with ^99mTc tricarbonyl {[^99mTc(CO)₃·(H₂O)₃]⁺} with the aim of obtaining a new brain imaging agent. For in vivo use, the radiosynthesis of ^99mTc tricarbonyl ropinirole was performed by heating a solution containing ropinirole and the precursor, ^99mTc tricarbonyl, on a boiling water bath for 30 min. The influence of the substrate amount and pH on the reaction was studied to optimize the synthesis. The biodistribution and scintigraphic studies demonstrate the suitability of ^99mTc tricarbonyl ropinirole as a novel tracer for brain tumor imaging.