Potential use of radiolabelled porphyrins for tumor scanning.

Fe-TMPI, Fe-TCP and protohemins showed high initial uptake using tissue culture techniques with mouse tumor cells (P815). However, the tumor uptake in the in vivo model was poor. Of the radionuclides investigated, iron labelled to TMPI demonstrated the best uptake by tumor in vitro. As has been previously demonstrated, the unnatural meso-arylporphyrin derivatives showed better uptake than did naturally occurring porphyrins and their derivatives.