Preparation of 125I-celecoxib with high purity as a possible tumor agent

A preparation of 125I-celecoxib is carried out via an electrophilic substitution reaction. The reaction parameters studied were celecoxib concentration, reaction temperature, pH of the reaction mixture and kinds of oxidizing agents in order to obtain a high radiochemical yield of the 125I-celecoxib. Using 3.7 MBq of Na125I, 150 μg (3.9 mM (mmol/L)) of celecoxib, and 1.6 mM (mmol/L) of chloramine-T (CAT) as oxidant at pH 4 and 60 °C for 15 min a maximum radiochemical yield of 125I-celecoxib (65%) was obtained. The labeled compound was separated and purified by means of high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). The biological distribution in infected mice indicates the suitability of radioiodinated celecoxib as imaging of tumor.