In vivo studies of unlabeled and radioiodinated rhodamine-123

Radioiodinated rhodamine-123 (Rh123), potential tumor imaging agent, was injected in mice bearing experimentally-induced tumors to investigate its tissue distribution. Some accumulation of radioactivity was found in tumors; most of it cleared rapidly from the blood after injection. Also, the radioiodinated Rh123 had metabolized to water-soluble species which was excreted in urine and feces.

Unlabeled Rh123, on the other hand, accumulated only marginally in the tumors. However, it was found to accumulate significantly in the heart; as much as seventy times the level in blood at 4 h post-injection. Accumulation of unlabeled Rh123 increased steadily even at 24 h post-injection; whereas, it cleared rapidly from the blood via the kidney.

This finding of selective accumulation of Rh123 in heart could be exploited in synthesizing ¹¹C- and ¹⁸F-labeled Rh123 for use in PET studies of the myocardium.