Optimal production and purification of n.c.a.Pr as a promising palliative agent for the treatment of metastatic bone pain.

This study proposes the beta-emitting radioisotope Pr as a promising candidate for palliative treatment of metastatic bone pain due to its desirable physical decay characteristics. An optimized process was developed for the production and purification of non-carrier-added Pr using a medium flux research reactor. Calculations were performed to determine the optimal irradiation time and cooling period for irradiating 1 mg of natural cerium oxide to indirectly produce Pr through the decay of Ce. Following irradiation and cooling, extraction chromatography was employed to efficiently isolate Pr from the irradiated target material. A column containing Ln-resin was used along with nitric acid as the mobile phase and an optional oxidation step with NaBrO/ascorbic acid to separate Pr from impurities such as Ce and Ce. Radionuclidic purity of over 99.995% was achieved as confirmed through gamma spectroscopy, demonstrating effective separation of Pr. Additional quality control analyses established the chemical and radiochemical purity of the purified Pr nitrate product. With a half-life of 13.6 days and maximum beta energy of 0.937 MeV, Pr exhibits favorable properties for palliative bone pain therapy. This study therefore provides a viable method for producing high-purity Pr through the optimized irradiation and purification processes described. Further investigation is warranted to explore potential clinical applications of Pr for palliation of metastatic bone cancer pain.