Scintigraphic imaging of infections with 99m-Tc-labelled glutathione liposomes

In this study, liposomes containing glutathione were evaluated to detect infection in mice. Glutathione liposomes were labelled by using 99mTc-labelled-HMPAO (hexamethyl propylamine oxime). Mice were infected in the thigh by intramuscular injection with turbentine. Labelled liposomes were applied to the tail vein of the mice intravenously. At fixed time intervals they were sacrificed. The animals were imaged under a gamma camera. Then, tissue samples were excised and radioactivity of all organs was counted. Abscess-to-muscle, abscess-to-liver, and abscess-to-spleen ratios were calculated. The ratios of abscess-to-muscle were found to be 1.6 and 11.6 at 1 h and 24 h, respectively. According to these data, the abscess can be defined at 1 h and it became more clear with time.