Preparation of Radioactive Skin Patches Using Polyhydroxamic Acid-Grafted Cellulose Films Toward Applications in Treatment of Superficial Tumors.

The primary objective of this investigation is the development of a strategy for the synthesis of polyhydroxamic acid (PHA)-grafted cellulose film, its characterization, and evaluation of its usefulness for the preparation of Lu skin patches for superficial brachytherapy applications. PHA-grafted cellulose films were synthesized and characterized by Fourier transformed infrared spectrometer analysis and visual color test with Fe(III) solution. Uptake of Lu on the PHA-grafted cellulose was investigated by varying the experimental conditions such as the pH of feed solution, amount of nonradioactive Lu carrier, time, and temperature of the reaction. Under the optimized conditions, >95% loading of Lu on the PHA-cellulose film could be achieved. Autoradiography studies of Lu-PHA-cellulose film confirmed the uniform distribution of Lu on the surface. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis of nonradioactive Lu-PHA-cellulose film confirmed the loading of Lu on PHA-cellulose film. The utility of PHA-functionalized cellulose films for the fabrication of radioactive sources for superficial brachytherapy applications could be successfully demonstrated.