Human urinary excretion of NC100692, an RGD-peptide for imaging angiogenesis.

The (99m)Tc complex of NC100692 is being evaluated as a diagnostic agent for the detection of angiogenesis. In the present study, human urine samples from a clinical Phase I study were analysed using reversed-phase liquid chromatography coupled with an ion-trap mass spectrometer (LC-MS) in order to estimate the amount of intact NC100692 and any metabolites excreted in urine following intravenous injection of 150microg (99m)Tc-NC100692. Only intact NC100692 was observed in these urine samples, no metabolites were detected, in contrast to data earlier reported for rat urine where two metabolites and no NC100692 were observed. Within 4-8h after injection, 30+/-6% of the injected NC100692 was excreted in the urine, with the majority (23+/-5%) recovered within the first hour post-injection. There was good agreement between the calculated urinary recoveries of NC100692 and total radioactivity in urine samples voided approximately 1h post-injection. NC100692 constituting 98+/-24% of the total urinary (99m)Tc recovery indicating that the (99m)Tc excreted during this period was most likely excreted as (99m)Tc-NC100692. The ratio of NC100692 to (99m)Tc decreased in the urine samples as a function of time following injection for all subjects; this change is most likely due to reduced accuracy in the results at low levels of NC100692.

Metabolism in rats of NC100692, an RGD-peptide for imaging of angiogenesis.

The 99mTc complex of NC100692 is being evaluated as a diagnostic agent for imaging of angiogenesis. We here report in vivo studies performed with NC100692 and 14C-labelled NC100692 using liquid chromatography coupled to either an ion-trap mass spectrometer or a radiochemical detector. Following injection of 14C-labelled NC100692, only the parent compound and no metabolites was observed in rat blood, whereas no parent compound and only 1 metabolite was observed in urine. Analysis of rat urine samples with liquid chromatography with mass spectrometric detection following administration of NC100692 verified the absence of the parent compound and showed the presence of 2 metabolites. The structures of the 2 metabolites were identified based on mass spectra and accurate mass determinations. The major metabolite was identified as the molecule obtained following hydrolytic cleavage at the end of the C-terminal amino acid of NC100692. The minor metabolite was identified as that obtained following removal of phenylalanine within the cyclic structure of the major metabolite.

Investigation of binding of 125I-iodixanol to high molecular weight substances after incubation with rat liver homogenates.

PURPOSE: It has recently been shown that incubation of iodixanol in rat liver homogenates resulted in formation of iodixanol metabolites. The present study was performed to see if this incubation resulted in any binding of iodixanol to high molecular weight substances, as such a high molecular weight conjugate of iodixanol theoretically might cause initiation of an immune response against this contrast agent. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 125I-iodixanol was incubated with rat liver homogenates for 1 h at 37 degrees C and 17 h at 25 degrees C followed by analysis of the supernatant fractions using gel-permeation chromatography with on-line radiochemical detection. RESULTS: No traces of radioactivity could be detected in the chromatograms, except at the retention time of free iodixanol. CONCLUSION: No binding of iodixanol to high molecular weight substances could be demonstrated after incubation of iodixanol with rat liver homogenates.

Determination of perfluorobutane in rat blood by automatic headspace capillary gas chromatography and selected ion monitoring mass spectrometry.

A new contrast agent (Sonazoid; NC100100) for ultrasound imaging has been developed. It is an aqueous suspension of lipid stabilised perfluorobutane (PFB) gas microbubbles. An automatic headspace capillary gas-chromatographic mass spectrometric method using electron impact ionisation was developed for analysis of Sonazoid PFB in rat blood. The calibration standards were gaseous PFB dissolved in ethanol in the range of 0.5-5000 ng PFB. Fluorotrichloromethane (CFC 11) was used as an internal standard of the method and the MS detector was set to single ion monitoring of the base fragment ions of PFB (m/z 69 and 119) and CFC 11 (m/z 101). The calibration graph, made by plotting the peak area ratios of PFB (m/z 69) to CFC 11(m/z 101) against the amount of PFB, was fitted to a second-order polynomial equation with weighting 1/y2 and found to be reproducible. The limit of quantification of the method was set to 0.4 ng PFB. The between-day variation of the method was below 9.2% relative standard deviation (RSD) and the within-day variation of the method was below 7.6% RSD. The accuracy of the method, as compared to Coulter counter, was estimated by determination of PFB in samples where Sonazoid was added to saline and found to range from 91.5% to 105.2%. PFB, added as Sonazoid, was found to be stable for at least 7 months in rat blood samples when stored at -20 degrees C.