Radiolabeling of Extracellular Vesicles with 99mTc for Quantitative In Vivo Imaging Studies

The biodistribution of extracellular vesicles (EVs) is a fundamental question in the field of circulating biomarkers, which has recently gained attention. Despite the capabilities of nuclear imaging methods, such as single-photon emission computed tomography, radioisotope labeling of EVs and the use of the aforementioned methods for in vivo studies hardly can be found in the literature. In this article, the authors describe a novel method for the radioisotope labeling of erythrocyte-derived EVs using the Tc-99m-tricarbonyl complex. Moreover, the capability of the developed labeling method for in vivo biodistribution studies is demonstrated in a mouse model. The authors found that the intravenously administered Tc-99m-labeled EVs mostly accumulated in the liver and spleen. The in vivo stability of the labeled EVs was assessed by the comparison of the obtained biodistribution of EVs with that of the free Tc-99m-tricarbonyl. According to the authors' data, only a minor fraction of the radioactive label became detached from the EVs.