Labelling of the platyhelminth Dugesia tigrina with 99mtechnetium.

The study of the labelling of planaria with 99mTc shows that the incorporation of radioactivity in this platyhelminth increases with an increase in SnCl2 concentration from 0.13 to 1.3 microM, reaching a plateau in the range of 1.3-130 microM then decreasing with 1300 microM. At concentrations of 1.3 and 13 microM SnCl2, a stronger binding of 99mTc was obtained. The biological viability of the labelled planaria was not altered when the described methodology was used. The advantage of this new labelling technique is that it is possible to obtain a platyhelminth preparation labelled with a radionuclide that is very cheap, is easily available and is a gamma emitter with a photon energy of 140 keV.