In vitro adsorption of 99Tc(m)-MIBI, 99Tc(m)-tetrofosmin, 99Tc(m)-furifosmin and 99Tc(m)O4- onto tubes.

Adsorption of radiopharmaceuticals onto disposable syringes has been reported to amount to levels of almost 50%. Data on adsorption of radiopharmaceuticals onto materials used for in vitro studies are extremely limited. We assessed the extent of adsorption of 99Tc(m) hexakis(2-methoxyisobutylisonitrile) (99Tc(m)-MIBI), 99Tc(m)-tetrofosmin, 99Tc(m)-furifosmin and 99Tc(m)O4 onto tubes used for in vitro measurement of cellular uptake of these radiopharmaceuticals. The influence on adsorption of different incubation media, temperature and time of incubation was evaluated. Total (not corrected for adsorption) uptake was compared with corrected, net cellular uptake in SK-BR-3, MCF-7 and liposarcoma cell lines. Values of adsorption ranging from 0.94+/-0.13% to 7.07+/-0.46% were found. The extent of adsorption of all the radiopharmaceuticals varied with the type of incubation medium and the incubation temperature. With 99Tc(m)-furifosmin, adsorption was dependent on the incubation time as well on the incubation temperature and some of the incubation media investigated. Our findings indicate that systematic investigations to evaluate the adsorption of radiopharmaceuticals onto materials used during in vitro studies of cellular uptake should be considered a mandatory aspect of quality control.