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

[61Cu]-labeled pyruvaldehyde-bis(N-4-methylthiosemicarbazone) (61Cu-PTSM), a promising agent made for imaging blood perfusion, was produced via the natZn(p, x)61Cu 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 μA irradiation for 76 min, about 6.006 Ci of 61Cu2+ was obtained with a radiochemical separation yield of 95% and a radionuclidic purity of 99%. 61Cu-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, [61Cu]-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.