123I-iodoazomycin arabinoside

**123I-iodoazomycin arabinoside** is a radioiodinated 2-nitroimidazole derivative developed as an imaging agent for non-invasive detection of tissue hypoxia. It is used in conventional nuclear medicine as a gamma-emitting radiopharmaceutical for single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and planar scintigraphy. Its mechanism relies on selective binding and retention in hypoxic cells via intracellular reduction, enabling visualization of hypoxic regions in tumors and other pathological tissues. Clinical and preclinical studies have demonstrated its effectiveness for imaging hypoxia in conditions such as cancer (particularly head and neck, lung tumors, glioblastomas, and sarcomas), cerebral ischemia, myocardial ischemia, arthritis, diabetes, and trauma. It is not approved as a therapeutic but is considered highly suitable for diagnostic imaging due to fast blood clearance, minimal deiodination, and hypoxia-selective tissue binding[1][3][4].

Other names

iodoazomycin arabinoside1-(5-iodo-5-deoxy-beta-arabinofuranosyl)-2-nitroimidazole