Syntheses of high valent fac-[99mTcO3]+ complexes and [2+3] cycloadditions with alkenes in water as a direct labelling strategy

Abstract

Reported herein is a new concept for the labelling of biomolecules with small [(99m)TcO(3)](+) complexes through a [3+2] cycloaddition with alkenes for radiopharmaceutical applications. We developed convenient reactions for the synthesis of small, water stable fac-[TcO(3)(tacn-R)](+) complexes ((99)Tc and (99m)Tc, tacn = 1,4,7-triazacyclononane, R = H, -CH(2)-C(6)H(5), -CH(2)-C(6)H(4)COOH). With alkenes, these high valent [(99m)TcO(3)](+) complexes undergo [3+2] cycloaddition with formation of the corresponding Tc(V)-glycolato complexes. The (99m)Tc(V) and (99m)Tc(VII) complexes are stable at 37 degrees C in water and in the presence of serum proteins. Therefore, new opportunities in technetium chemistry are enabled with a high potential for medicinal and biological applications. In contrast to classical labelling, the presented strategy is ligand and not metal-centred.