Comparison of reversed phase and reversed phase ion pair high performance liquid chromatography for analysis of TcO and TcN complexes of L,L-ethylene dicysteine di-ethylester and its acid analogues.

99mTc(V)-oxo complexes of L,L-ethylene dicysteine (L,L-EC) and its di-ester derivative L,L-ethyl cysteinate dimer (L,L-ECD) are useful tracer agents for evaluation of renal function and cerebral blood flow respectively. Labelling of these molecules with a 99mTc(V)-nitrido core instead of the 99mTc(V)-oxo core alters their biological and physiochemical behavior. In the reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method presently used to analyse 99mTc(V)-oxo preparations of L,L-EC and L,L-ECD, the 99mTc(V)-nitrido-L,L-EC complex and the possible impurities of a 99mTc(V)-nitrido-L,L-ECD preparation were found to elute with the void volume. In this study, a reversed phase ion pair HPLC method has been developed that is useful for the analysis of both 99mTc(V)-oxo and 99mTc(V)-nitrido preparations of L,L-EC and L,L-ECD. Tetrabutylammonium hydroxide is used as a cationic ion pairing agent.