Benzimidazole derivatives as NSO ligands for the fac-[M(CO)(3)](+) (M = Re, Tc-99m)

Two rhenium(I) tricarbonyl complexes with the tridentate monoanionic NSO ligands, 4-(benzimidazol-2-yl)-3-thiabutanoic acid (complex 3) and [1-(11-carboxyundecanyl)-4-(benzimidazol-2-yl)]-3-thiabutanoic acid (complex 4) were synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic methods and elemental analysis. X-ray crystallographic analysis of complex 3 revealed a distorted octahedral geometry around rhenium defined by the three facially bound CO groups and the NSO donor atom set of the tridentate ligand. The analogous technetium-99m complexes (complexes 5 and 6) were also prepared quantitatively by reaction of the NSO ligands with the fac-[Tc-99m(H2O)(3)(CO)(3)](+) synthon and their identity was established by chromatographic comparison to their rhenium congeners. Biodistribution in mice of complex 6 bearing the fatty acid chain showed significant heart uptake (6.26 +/- 0.79% ID/g p.i.) at 1 min accompanied, however, with a heart: blood ratio below 1. (C) 2011 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved