Jacqueline F. Cawthray

Acyclic Chelate with Ideal Properties for 68Ga PET Imaging Agent Elaboration

We have investigated novel bifunctional chelate alternatives to the aminocarboxylate macrocycles NOTA (N(3)O(3)) or DOTA (N(4)O(4)) for application of radioisotopes of Ga to diagnostic nuclear medicine and have found that the linear N(4)O(2) chelate H(2)dedpa coordinates (67)Ga quantitatively to form [(67)Ga(dedpa)](+) after 10 min at RT. Concentration-dependent coordination to H(2)dedpa of either (68)Ga or (67)Ga showed quantitative conversion to the desired products with ligand concentrations as low as 10(-7) M. With (68)Ga, specific activities as high as 9.8 mCi nmol(-1) were obtained without purification. In a 2 h competition experiment against human apo-transferrin, [(67)Ga(dedpa)](+) showed no decomposition. Two bifunctional versions of H(2)dedpa are also described, and these both coordinate to (67)Ga at RT within 10 min. Complete syntheses, characterizations, labeling studies, and biodistribution profiles of the (67)Ga complexes are presented for the new platform chelates. The stability of these platform chelates is higher than that of DOTA.

Evaluation of the H2dedpa Scaffold and its cRGDyK Conjugates for Labeling with 64Cu

Studies of the acyclic ligand scaffold H(2)dedpa and its derivatives with the peptide cRGDyK for application in copper radiopharmaceuticals are described. Previously shown to be a superb ligand for (67/68)Ga, the chelate is now shown to coordinate (64)Cu in its derivatized and nonderivatized forms rapidly under mild reaction conditions (10 min, RT, pH 5.5 10 mM sodium acetate buffered solution). The hexadentate, distorted octahedral coordination of H(2)dedpa is confirmed in the corresponding solid state X-ray crystal structure of [Cu(dedpa)]. Cyclic voltammetry determined the reduction potential of [Cu(dedpa)] to be below values found for common bioreductants. Reduction and reoxidation were irreversible but reproducible, indicating a potential change of coordination mode upon reduction of Cu(II) to Cu(I). The thermodynamic stability constant log K(CuL) was determined to be 19.16(5), comparable to other frequently used (64)Cu chelates. Serum stability of the (64)Cu labeled chelate revealed only 3% transchelation/association to serum proteins after 2 h, while the conjugates reveal 10% ([Cu(RGD1)]) and 6% ([Cu(RGD2)]) transchelation at the same time point.

H4octapa-Trastuzumab: Versatile Acyclic Chelate System for 111In and 177Lu Imaging and Therapy

A bifunctional derivative of the versatile acyclic chelator H4octapa, p-SCN-Bn-H4octapa, has been synthesized for the first time. The chelator was conjugated to the HER2/neu-targeting antibody trastuzumab and labeled in high radiochemical purity and specific activity with the radioisotopes (111)In and (177)Lu. The in vivo behavior of the resulting radioimmunoconjugates was investigated in mice bearing ovarian cancer xenografts and compared to analogous radioimmunoconjugates employing the ubiquitous chelator 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA). The H4octapa-trastuzumab conjugates displayed faster radiolabeling kinetics with more reproducible yields under milder conditions (15 min, RT, ~94-95%) than those based on DOTA-trastuzumab (60 min, 37 °C, ~50-88%). Further, antibody integrity was better preserved in the (111)In- and (177)Lu-octapa-trastuzumab constructs, with immunoreactive fractions of 0.99 for each compared to 0.93-0.95 for (111)In- and (177)Lu-DOTA-trastuzumab. These results translated to improved in vivo biodistribution profiles and SPECT imaging results for (111)In- and (177)Lu-octapa-trastuzumab compared to (111)In- and (177)Lu-DOTA-trastuzumab, with increased tumor uptake and higher tumor-to-tissue activity ratios.

Ion exchange in hydroxyapatite with lanthanides.

Naturally occurring hydroxyapatite, Ca5(PO4)3(OH) (HAP), is the main inorganic component of bone matrix, with synthetic analogues finding applications in bioceramics and catalysis. An interesting and valuable property of both natural and synthetic HAP is the ability to undergo cationic and anionic substitution. The lanthanides are well-suited for substitution for the Ca(2+) sites within HAP, because of their similarities in ionic radii, donor atom requirements, and coordination geometries. We have used isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) to investigate the thermodynamics of ion exchange in HAP with a representative series of lanthanide ions, La(3+), Sm(3+), Gd(3+), Ho(3+), Yb(3+) and Lu(3+), reporting the association constant (Ka), ion-exchange thermodynamic parameters (ΔH, ΔS, ΔG), and binding stoichiometry (n). We also probe the nature of the La(3+):HAP interaction by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance ((31)P NMR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), in support of the ITC results.

What a Difference a Carbon Makes: H4octapa vs H4C3octapa, Ligands for In-111 and Lu-177 Radiochemistry

The acyclic ligands H4C3octapa and p-SCN-Bn-H4C3octapa were synthesized for the first time, using nosyl protection chemistry. These new ligands were compared to the previously studied ligands H4octapa and p-SCN-Bn-H4octapa to determine the extent to which the addition of a single carbon atom to the backbone of the ligand would affect metal coordination, complex stability, and, ultimately, utility for in vivo radiopharmaceutical applications. Although only a single carbon atom was added to H4C3octapa and the metal donor atoms and denticity were not changed, the solution chemistry and radiochemistry properties were drastically altered, highlighting the importance of careful ligand design and radiometal–ligand matching. It was found that [In(C3octapa)]− and [Lu(C3octapa)]− were substantially different from the analogous H4octapa complexes, exhibiting fluxional isomerization and a higher number of isomers, as observed by 1H NMR, VT-NMR, and 2D COSY/HSQC-NMR experiments. Past evaluation of the DFT structures of [In(octapa)]− and [Lu(octapa)]− revealed very symmetric complexes; in contrast, the [In(C3octapa)]− and [Lu(C3octapa)]− complexes were much less symmetric, suggesting lower symmetry and less rigidity than that of the analogous H4octapa complexes. Potentiometric titrations revealed the formation constants (log KML, pM) were ∼2 units lower for the In3+ and Lu3+ complexes of H4C3octapa when compared to that of the more favorable H4octapa ligand (∼2 orders of magnitude less thermodynamically stable). The bifunctional ligands p-SCN-Bn-H4C3octapa and p-SCN-Bn-H4octapa were conjugated to the antibody trastuzumab and radiolabeled with 111In and 177Lu. Over a 5 day stability challenge experiment in blood serum, 111In-octapa– and 111In-C3octapa–trastuzumab immunoconjugates were determined to be ∼91 and ∼24% stable, respectively, and 177Lu-octapa– and 177Lu-C3octapa–trastuzumab, ∼89% and ∼4% stable, respectively. This work suggests that 5-membered chelate rings are superior to 6-membered chelate rings for large metal ions like In3+ and Lu3+, which is a crucial consideration for the design of bifunctional chelates for bioconjugation to targeting vectors for in vivo work.

3-Hydroxy-4-pyridinone derivatives designed for fluorescence studies to determine interaction with amyloid protein as well as cell permeability.

Finding a cure for Alzheimers disease is an urgent goal. Multifunctional metal binders are used to elucidate its pathological features and investigated as potential therapeutics. The use of physicochemical and TD-DFT calculations constituted successful strategy in the design of 1-(4-(benzo[d]oxazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-hydroxy-2-methylpyridin-4(1H)-one (HL21) and 1-(4-(benzo[d]thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-hydroxy-2-methylpyridin-4(1H)-one (HL22). We report the synthesis and full characterization of these compounds, including X-ray crystallography. Using fluorescent signal as the readout, it was determined that HL22 interacts with amyloid-beta protein fibrils, and permeates into bEnd.3 cells used as a mimic of the blood-brain barrier. This provides the first example of direct investigation of our hydroxypyridinone compounds within a biological setting.