Biodistribution study of [Cu-61]pyruvaldehyde-bis (N-4-methylthiosemicarbazone) in normal rats as a PET tracer

[Cu-61]-labeled pyruvaldehyde-bis(N-4-methylthiosemicarbazone) (Cu-61-PTSM), a promising agent made for imaging blood perfusion, was produced via the Zn-nat(p,x)Cu-61 nuclear reaction in a 30 MeV cyclotron, and separated by a two-step column chromatography method developed in our laboratory using a cation and an anion exchange resin. After 150 p-A irradiation for 76 min, about 6.006 Ci of Cu-61(2+) was obtained with a radiochemical separation yield of 95% and a radionuclidic purity of 99%. Cu-61-PTSM was prepared using an optimized method with in-house synthesized PTSM ligand for radiolabeling following quality control procedures using RTLC and HPLC. The tracer is mostly incorporated in heart, kidneys and brain compared to free copper cation as a control. These are in agreement with former reports. In conclusion, [Cu-61]-PTSM was prepared at the radiopharmaceutical scales with high quality and is a potential PET tracer in the perfusion study of the heart, kidney, brain and tumors.