Resumo

LEYVA RAMOS, Elisa; LEYVA RAMOS, Socorro  e  CORTES GARCIA, Carlos Jesús. Bifunctional chelating agents used in the synthesis of radiopharmaceuticals. Rev. mex. cienc. farm [online]. 2013, vol.44, n.1, pp.7-23. ISSN 1870-0195.

Radiopharmaceuticals are organic compounds containing atoms of some radioactive elements. They are designed for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes, to deliver small doses of ionizing radiation to certain tissues or organs in the body. Unlike classical chemotherapeutics, radiopharmaceuticals act against malignant cells with high specificity. These compounds contain a bifunctional chelating agent, a targeting molecule, a linker and a radionuclide. In this review, the general aspects of target specific radiopharmaceuticals are presented, as well as, the bifunctional chelating agents most studied in the development of these drugs.

Palavras-chave : Radiopharmaceuticals; bifunctional chelating agents; radionuclide.