Platelet labelling with indium-hydroxypyridinone and indium-hydroxypyranone complexes.

In order to identify new compounds which label platelets without affecting their function, three classes of metal chelating agents have been compared with oxine for their efficiency of indium-113m platelet labelling and for their short- and long-term effects on platelet function. The 3-hydroxypyridinones (both 2-ones and 4-ones) and 3-hydroxypyranones are bidentate chelators of trivalent metal ions that are neutrally charged in the metal-complexed form and hence gain access to cells readily. The hydroxypyranone ethylmaltol has been compared with the 3-hydroxypyridin-4-one CP94 and to its structurally related lipophilic analogue CP25 as well as with the 3-hydroxypyridin-2-one, CP02. The platelet labelling efficiencies with these ligands were between 75% and 95% of that obtained with oxine, following a 12-min incubation in saline. The optimal concentration for the hydroxypyridin-2-ones and hydroxypyridin-4-ones was approximately 10 microM compared with 100 microM for the hydroxypyranone ethylmaltol and 60 microM for oxine. Oxine and tropolone were found to produce significant inhibition of platelet aggregation to collagen in short-term experiments (10 min) or in longer term (18 and 42 h) ex vivo platelet cultures respectively. By contrast, ethylmaltol had no such inhibitory effects at either time interval. The relatively hydrophilic hydroxypyridin-4-one CP94 showed no inhibitory effects on collagen-induced aggregation in short-term studies, unlike the more lipid-soluble derivative CP25. These results suggest that ethylmaltol and related pyranones may have advantages over oxine and tropolone as indium platelet labelling agents where it is important not to damage platelets by the labelling process itself.