Kohei Sano

Design of Ga―DOTA-based bifunctional radiopharmaceuticals: Two functional moieties can be conjugated to radiogallium―DOTA without reducing the complex stability

From the X-ray crystal structures of Ga-DOTA chelates, we were able to deduce that two free carboxylate groups of the radiogallium-DOTA complex may be utilized for coupling to functional moieties that recognize molecular targets for in vivo imaging without reducing the radiogallium-complex stability. Thus, we designed 2,2-[4,10-bis(2-{[2-(2-methyl-5-nitro-1H-imidazol-1-yl)ethyl]amino}-2-oxoethyl)-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,7-diyl]diacetic acid (DOTA-MN2) (7), employing a metronidazole moiety as the recognition site of hypoxic lesions, based on the drug design concept of bifunctional radiopharmaceuticals. Coupling of DOTA-bis(tert-butyl)ester 5 with 1-(2-aminoethyl)-2-methyl-5-nitroimidazole dihydrochloride, followed by deprotection, afforded the required 7 (DOTA-MN2). (67)Ga-labeling was carried out by reaction of DOTA-MN2 with (67)Ga-citrate. When (67)Ga-DOTA-MN2 was incubated in phosphate-buffered saline or mouse plasma, no measurable decomposition occurred over a 24-h period. In biodistribution experiments in NFSa tumor-bearing mice, (67)Ga-DOTA-MN2 displayed not only a significant tumor uptake, but also rapid blood clearance and low accumulations in nontarget tissues, resulting in high target-to-nontarget ratios of radioactivity. These results indicate the potential benefits of the drug design of (67)Ga-DOTA-MN2. The present findings provide helpful information for the development of radiogallium-labeled radiopharmaceuticals for SPECT and PET studies.

Radiolabeled γ-polyglutamic acid complex as a nano-platform for sentinel lymph node imaging

We established a ternary anionic complex constructed with polyamidoamine dendrimer (4th generation; G4) modified with chelating agents (diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA) derivative), polyethyleneimine (PEI), and γ-polyglutamic acid (PGA) as a safe nano-platform for molecular imaging. We prepared indium-111-labeled DTPA-G4/PEI/γ-PGA, and evaluated the effectiveness as a nuclear imaging probe for sentinel lymph node (LN), the first LN that drains the primary tumor. (111)In-DTPA-G4/PEI with strong cationic charge agglutinated with erythrocytes and showed extremely high cytotoxicity. By contrast, the anionic (111)In-DTPA-G4/PEI/γ-PGA had little agglutination activity with erythrocytes and no cytotoxicity, indicating their high biocompatibility. (111)In-DTPA-G4/PEI/γ-PGA was highly taken up by macrophage cells (high populations in LNs) comparable to (111)In-DTPA-G4/PEI. The uptake mechanisms of (111)In-DTPA-G4/PEI/γ-PGA were suggested to be both phagocytosis and γ-PGA-specific pathway. Upon administration of each (111)In-labeled nano-platform into rat footpads intradermally, significantly higher radioactivity of (111)In-DTPA-G4/PEI/γ-PGA was observed in the first draining popliteal LN when compared with that of (111)In-DTPA-G4/PEI. Moreover, (111)In-DTPA-G4/PEI/γ-PGA clearly visualized the sentinel LN with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) compared with (111)In-DTPA-G4/PEI. Thus, (111)In-DTPA-G4/PEI/γ-PGA can be useful as a nano-platform for molecular imaging including sentinel LN imaging.

Synthesis and in vitro evaluation of radioiodinated indolequinones targeting NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase 1 for internal radiation therapy.

NAD(P)Hnquinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) is an obligate two-electron reductase and is highly expressed in many human solid cancers. Because NQO1 can be induced immediately after exposure to ionizing radiation, we aimed to develop an NQO1-targeted radiolabeled agent to establish a novel internal radiation therapy that amplifies the therapeutic effects when combined with external radiation therapy. We designed three NQO1-targeted radioiodinated compounds including two ether linkage compounds ([(125)I]1 and [(125)I]2) and a sulfide linkage compound ([(125)I]3) based on the selective binding of indolequinone analogs to the active site of NQO1 by the stacking effect. These compounds were successfully prepared using an oxidative iododestannylation reaction with high radiochemical yields and purity. In NQO1-expressing tumor cells, [(125)I]1 and [(125)I]2 were readily metabolized to p-[(125)I]iodophenol or m-[(125)I]iodophenol and [(125)I]I(-), whereas over 85% of the initial radioactivity of [(125)I]3 was observed as an intact form at 1h after incubation. The cellular uptake of [(125)I]3 was significantly higher than those of [(125)I]1 and [(125)I]2. The uptake of [(125)I]3 was specific and was dependent on the expression of NQO1. These data suggest that the novel NQO1-targeted radioiodinated compound [(125)I]3 could be used as a novel internal radiation agent for the treatment of cancer.