Spectroscopic, radiochemical, and theoretical studies of the Ga3+-N-2-hydroxyethyl piperazine-N'-2-ethanesulfonic acid (HEPES buffer) system: evidence for the formation of Ga3+ - HEPES complexes in (68) Ga labeling reactions.

Recent reports have claimed a superior performance of HEPES buffer in comparison to alternative buffer systems for 67/68 Ga labeling in aqueous media. In this paper we report spectroscopic (1H and 71 Ga NMR), radiochemical, mass spectrometry and theoretical modeling studies on the Ga3+/HEPES system (HEPES = N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N′-2-ethanesulfonic acid) performed with the aim of elucidating a potential contribution of HEPES in the 68/67 Ga radiolabeling process. Our results demonstrate that HEPES acts as a weakly but competitive chelator of Ga3+ and that this interaction depends on the relative Ga3+: HEPES concentration. A by-product formed in the labeling mixture has been identified …