Radioligand

A radioligand is a radioactive biochemical substance (in particular, a ligand) that is used for diagnosis or for research-oriented study of the receptor systems of the body.

The radioligand is injected into the pertinent tissue, or infused into the bloodstream. It binds to its receptor. When the radioactive isotope in the ligand decays it can be measured, e.g., by positron emission tomography.

The transport of the radioligand is described by receptor kinetics.

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History

Radioligands are acredited for making possible the study of biomolecular behaviour, a previously mysterious area of research that had evaded researchers.^[1] With this capacity radioligand techniques enabled researchers to identify receptor devices within cells.

Radioactive isotopes commonly used

main article: Radioactivity in biology

• Tritium ³H
• Carbon-14
• Sulfur-35
• Iodine-131

List of radioligands

• (¹⁸F)altanserin^[2]
• (¹¹C)ketanserin^[3]

See also

• Binding potential
• Distribution volume
• Radioactivity in biology

References

1. ^ Niehoff, Debra (2005). The Language of Life: How cells communicate in life & disease. Joseph Henry Press. ISBN 0309089891. 
2. ^ Karen H. Adams, Lars H. Pinborg, Claus Svarer, S. G. Hasselbalch, Søren Holm, Steven Haugbøl, K. Madsen, Vibe G. Frøkjær, L. Martiny Olaf B. Paulson, Gitte Moos Knudsen (March 2004). "A database of [¹⁸F]-altanserin binding to 5-HT_2A receptors in normal volunteers: normative data and relationship to physiological and demographic variables". NeuroImage 21 (3): 1105-1113. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2003.10.046. ISSN 1053-8119.
3. ^ J. C. Baron, Y. Samson, D. Comar, C. Crouzel, P. Deniker, Y. Agid (1985). "Etude in vivo des recepteurs serotoninergiques centraux chez l'homme par tomographie a positions. [In vivo study of central serotoninergic receptors in man using positron tomography]" (in French). Revue Neurologique 141 (8–9): 537–545. PMID 2935920.