N-Terminal Sugar Conjugation and C-Terminal Thr-for-Thr(ol) Exchange in Radioiodinated Tyr3-octreotide: Effect on Cellular Ligand Trafficking in Vitro and Tumor Accumulation in Vivo
摘要:
For effective targeting of somatostatin receptor (sst) expressing tumors by radiolabeled octreotide analogues, high ligand uptake into sst-positive cells is mandatory. To optimize it, two modifications have been introduced into [I-125]Tyr(3)-octreotide ([I-125]TOC): C-terminal Thr-for-Thr(ol) exchange (leading to Tyr(3)-octreotate (TOCA)) and N-terminal derivatization with different carbohydrates. Both have significant impact on radioligand uptake into sst(2)-expressing cells in vitro and in vivo. Glucose conjugation via Amadori reaction by itself led to improved tumor uptake of [I-123] Gluc-TOC in vivo, which is based on an enhancement of peptide internalization despite a reduction in receptor affinity. In the case of the doubly modified analogues [I-123]Gluc-TOCA, [I-123]Gluc-S-TOCA, and [I-123] Gal-S-TOCA, a cumulative effect of both structural modifications was observed, leading up to a 5-fold increased uptake of these compounds in sst-expressing tumors compared to [I-125]TOC. Thus, glycosylation with small carbohydrates was found to be a suitable tool to enhance receptor-mediated uptake of radiolabeled octreotide analogues into sst-positive malignancies, leading to tracers with excellent characteristics for in vivo sst-imaging applications.