M. K. Bakht, M. Sadeghi, S. Ahmadi
Jan 1, 2013
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Influential Citations
24
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Quality indicators
Journal
Nuclear Medicine Communications
Abstract
ObjectiveMany studies have attempted to assess the significance of the use of the &bgr;−-particle emitter praseodymium-142 (142Pr) in cancer treatment. As praseodymium oxide (Pr2O3) powder is not water soluble, it was dissolved in HCl solution and the resultant solution had to be pH adjusted to be in an injectable radiopharmaceutical form. Moreover, it was shown that the nanosized neodymium oxide (Nd2O3) induced massive vacuolization and cell death in non-small-cell lung cancer. In this work, the production of 142Pr was studied and water-dispersible nanosized Pr2O3 was proposed to improve the application of 142Pr in nuclear medicine. Materials and methodsData from different databases pertaining to the production of 142Pr were compared to evaluate the accuracy of the theoretical calculations. Water-dispersible nanosized Pr2O3 was prepared using a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) coating or PEGylation method as a successful mode of drug delivery. Radioactive 142Pr2O3 was produced via a 141Pr(n,&ggr;)142Pr reaction by thermal neutron bombardment of the prepared sample. ResultsThere was good agreement between the reported experimental data and the data based on nuclear model calculations. In addition, a small part of nano-Pr2O3 particles remained in suspension and most of them settled out of the water. Interestingly, the PEGylated Pr2O3 nanoparticles were water dispersible. After neutron bombardment of the sample, a stable colloidal 142Pr2O3 was formed. ConclusionThe radioactive 142Pr2O3 decays to the stable 142Nd2O3. The suggested colloidal 142Pr2O3 as a multifunctional therapeutic agent could have dual roles in cancer treatment as a radiotherapeutic agent using nanosized 142Pr2O3 and as an autophagy-inducing agent using nanosized 142Nd2O3.