摘要
As one of the most critical types of cancer,hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)affects many people worldwide.This study demonstrated the prospective use of atorvastatin,a drug that inhibits the mevalonate pathway,causing hypolipidemia,as a carrier to deliver the iodine-131(131I)isotope to liver tissues for HCC radiotherapy.The atorvastatin radioiodination method was optimized for utilizing the131I isotope.The radiochemical quality and the in vitro stability of the generated[131I]atorvastatin were investigated.In addition,the biodistribution experiments of[131I]atorvastatin were evaluated in both normal and HCC-induced rat models.[131I]atorvastatin was produced at a maximum radiochemical yield of 86.7±0.49%.The[131I]atorvastatin solution purified via high-performance liquid chromatography showed good in vitro stability for 12 h after tagging.Biodistribution analyses revealed remarkable liver targeting capacity of[131I]atorvastatin and good localization of131I in liver tissues.Overall,the encouraging biochemical profile and histopathologicalfindings have been reported,and preliminary investigations on the possible use of[131I]atorvastatin as a radiotracer and its impact on HCC radiotherapy in rats show promise.