Preparation and biodistribution of 99mTc-tricarbonyl complex with 4-[(2-methoxyphenyl)piperazin-1-yl]-dithioformate as a potential 5-HT1A receptor imaging agent

The goal of this study is to develop a novel 5-HT1A receptor imaging agent. 4-[(2-methoxyphenyl)piperazin-1-yl]-dithioformate (MPPDTF) was labeled with 99mTc-tricarbonyl core via dithioformate moiety in high yield (>96% by HPLC). 99mTc(CO)3–MPPDTF is a neutral and lipophilic complex, which was confirmed by paper electrophoresis and octanol/water partition coefficient (P=27.0±1.4, n=3), respectively. In vivo biodistribution indicated that this complex had moderate brain uptake (0.53±0.10% ID/g at 5 min and 0.42±0.02% ID/g at 120 min) and good retention (about 80% of the activity was retained in the brain at 120 min post-injection). Regional brain distribution study showed that hippocampus, where the 5-HT1A receptor density is high, had the highest uptake (0.60±0.02% ID/g at 5 min p.i.) and the cerebellum, where the 5-HT1A receptor density is low, had the lowest uptake (0.10±0.02% ID/g at 5 min p.i.). After blocking with 8-OH-DPAT, the hippocampus uptake was decreased obviously while the cerebellum uptake was increased slightly. This result indicates that 99mTc(CO)3–MPPDTF complex has specific binding to 5-HT1A receptor.