Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of the 99mtcn-Gemifloxacin Dithiocarbamate Complex: A Novel Streptococcus Pneumoniae Infection Imaging Agent

Synthesis and biological evaluation of the 99mTcN-Gemifloxacin dithiocarbamate (99mTcN-GIND) complex was investigated in terms of radiochemical stability (RCP) in saline, serum, in-vitro binding with Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) and biodistribution in male Wistar rats artificially infected with living and heat killed S. pneumoniae. The maximum RCP was 98.25 ± 0.30% at 30 min and decreased to 91.25 ± 0.34% within 240 min. The complex showed stable behavior (in-vitro) in serum at 37°C with a 14.35% undesirable side products within 16 h. The complex showed 71.25% in-vitro binding S. pneumoniae. The uptake of the complex in the infected muscle was six times higher than the inflamed and normal muscles of the MWR infected with living S. pneumoniae. The promising (in-vitro and in-vivo) radiochemical and biological behavior posed the 99mTcN-GIND complex as a potential radiotracer for S. pneumoniae infection.