[99mTc] liposomes for localizing experimental colitis in a rabbit model

[Tc-99m] liposomes (TL) and [In-111]WBCs (WBCs) were compared for imaging colitis in rabbits. At 24 h, liver was the major organ of accumulation (7.8% TL vs 39.7% WBCs), besides blood (44.1% TL vs 24.4% WBCs) and spleen (0.3% TL vs 7% WBCs). The inflamed colon accumulated 37.1 times more of [Tc-99m] liposomes than the normal colon whereas the ratio was only 15.2 in case of [In-111] WBCs. The study demonstrates the usefulness of [Tc-99m] liposomes for imaging inflammatory bowel diseases. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.