Accumulation of 99Tcm-gluconate in daunorubicin-treated neonatal heart cells in culture.

The cardiotoxic effect of daunorubicin was investigated using cultured heart cells from neonatal rat hearts. Exposure of the cells to low but toxic concentrations of daunorubicin led to drastically altered permeability properties of the plasma membrane as measured by release of lactate dehydrogenase. Simultaneously, 99Tcm-gluconate, an isotope complex used in scintigraphic imaging of myocardial infarcts, was accumulated in the cells. The results suggest that daunorubicin-induced cardiac damage may be estimated by isotope uptake.