Asialoglycoprotein Receptor-Targeted Radiopharmaceuticals for Measurement of Liver Function

Author(s):

W. Yang, X. Zhang and Y. Liu   Pages 4 - 23 ( 20 )

Abstract:

The number of Asialoglycoprotein (ASGP) receptors on the hepatocytes of patients with liver disease is reduced and is thus considered a good indicator for the evaluation of liver function. ASGP receptor-targeted radiopharmaceuticals permit a non-invasive way to evaluate total and regional hepatic function and hepatic functional reserve visually and quantitatively. Over the past three decades, a variety of ASGP receptor-targeted probes have been developed with different molecular backbones (albumin, polymer, small-molecular-weight ligand), different glycol-residues (galactose, lactose, N-acetyl-galactosamine) and different chelating systems suitable for radiolabeling with SPECT isotopes (^99mTc, ¹¹¹In, ⁶⁷Ga, ^131/125I, ¹⁵³Sm) and PET isotopes (⁶⁸Ga, ¹⁸F). In this review, we present an overview of ASGP receptor-targeted radiopharmaceuticals, discuss their chemistry, biodistribution, catabolism and challenge as well as application for measurement of liver function.

Keywords:

ASGP receptors, hepatic imaging, liver function, PET, radiopharmaceutical, SPECT.

Affiliation:

, , Research Center for Application of Nuclear Technology, Institute of High Energy Physics, 19B YuquanLu, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China.

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