Radiopharmaceutical for diagnostic imaging containing a technetium-99m nitride heterocomplex

Abstract

A process for diagnostic imaging of heart or adrenal glands of a human being comprises administering to the human being a radiopharmaceutical containing as an active ingredient a technetium-99m nitride heterocomplex comprising technetium-99m nitride and two different ligands coordinated therewith, i.e., a bisphosphinoamine compound and a bidentate ligand and represented by the formula (1): [ 99m Tc(N)(PNP)(XY)] + . In this formula, 99m Tc(N) is technetium-99m nitride, PNP is a bisphosphinoamine compound and XY is a bidentate ligand as described in the specification. The compound of the formula is markedly accumulated in heart and adrenal glands and hence is used for radiodiagnostic imaging of heart and adrenal glands.

1 . A process for diagnostic imaging of heart of a human being, comprising administering to the human being a radiopharmaceutical that comprises an ion of technetium-99m nitride heterocomplex, represented by the following formula (1):
   [ 99m Tc(N)(PNP)(XY)] +   (1)   
       wherein  99m Tc is a metastable nuclear isomer of technetium-99m;
 N is a nitrogen atom bonded to  99m Tc; 
 PNP is a bisphosphinoamine ligand coordinated with  99m Tc and 
 XY is a bidentate ligand coordinated with  99m Tc 
 
       wherein the bisphosphinoamine ligand is selected from the group consisting of 
       bis(dimethoxypropylphosphinoethyl)methoxyethylamine, and 
       bis(dimethoxypropylphosphinoethyl)ethoxyethylamine, and 
       the bidentate ligand is selected from the group consisting of 
       N-dimethyl dithiocarbamate, 
       N-diethyl dithiocarbamate, 
       N-ethoxy-N-ethyl dithiocarbamate, 
       N-methoxypropyl-N-ethyl dithiocarbamate, 
       N-ethoxyethyl-N-isopropyl dithiocarbamate, 
       N-ethoxyethyl-N-ethyl dithiocarbamate, 
       N-methoxyethyl-N-ethyl dithiocarbamate, and 
       N-diethoxyethyl dithiocarbamate. 
     
     
         2 . A process for diagnostic imaging of adrenal glands of a human being, comprising administering to the human being a radiopharmaceutical that comprises an ion of technetium-99m nitride heterocomplex, represented by following formula (1):
   [ 99m Tc(N)(PNP)(XY)] +   (1)   
       wherein  99m Tc is a metastable nuclear isomer of technetium-99m;
 N is a nitrogen atom bonded to  99m Tc; 
 PNP is a bisphosphinoamine ligand coordinated with  99m Tc and 
 XY is a bidentate ligand coordinated with  99m Tc 
 
       wherein the bisphosphinoamine ligand is selected from the group consisting of 
       bis(dimethoxypropylphosphinoethyl)methoxyethylamine, and 
       bis(dimethoxypropylphosphinoethyl)ethoxyethylamine, and 
       wherein the bidentate ligand is N-methyl-5-dithiocarbazate.