Labeling of ursodeoxycholic acid with technetium-99m for hepatobiliary imaging

An adopted method for the preparation of high radiochemical purity 99mTc-ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) was conducted with a high radiochemical yield up to 97.5 %. The reaction proceeds well using 2 mg UDCA, 50 μg tin chloride in solution of pH 8 at room temperature for 30 min. The radiochemical yield was up to 97.5 % as pure as 99mTc-UDCA. Different chromatographic techniques (paper chromatography and electrophoresis) were used to evaluate the radiochemical yield and purity of the labeled product. Biodistribution studies were carried out in Albino Swiss mice at different time intervals after administration of 99mTc-UDCA. The uptake of 99mTc-UDCA in the liver gave the chance to diagnose it. The results indicate that the labeled compound cleared from the systematic circulation within 2 h after administration and majority of organs showed significant decrease in uptake of 99mTc-UDCA. Finally, the liver uptake was high and the results indicate the possibility of using 99mTc-UDCA for hepatobiliary imaging.