Comparative Studies of Three Pairs of α- and γ-Conjugated Folic Acid Derivatives Labeled with Fluorine-18
作者:Silvan D. Boss、Thomas Betzel、Cristina Müller、Cindy R. Fischer、Stephanie Haller、Josefine Reber、Viola Groehn、Roger Schibli、Simon M. Ametamey
DOI:10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.5b00644
日期:2016.1.20
The folate receptor (FR) is upregulated in various epithelial cancer types (FR α-isoform), while healthy tissues show only restricted expression. FR-targeted imaging using folate radiopharmaceuticals is therefore a promising approach for the detection of FR-positive cancer tissue. Almost all folate-based radiopharmaceuticals have been prepared by conjugation at the γ-carboxylic functionality of the glutamate moiety of folic acid. In this work, three pairs of fluorinated α- and γ-conjugated folate derivatives were synthesized and their in vitro and in vivo properties compared. The syntheses of all six regioisomers were obtained in good chemical yields using a multistep synthetic approach including the highly selective Cu(I)-catalyzed 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition. The radiosyntheses of the α- and γ-conjugated 18F-labeled folate derivatives were accomplished in moderate to good radiochemical yields, high radiochemical purities (>95%), and specific activities ranging from 25 to 196 GBq/μmol. In vitro, all folate derivatives showed high binding affinity to the FR-α (IC50 = 1.4–2.2 nM). In vivo PET imaging and biodistribution studies in FR-positive KB tumor-bearing mice demonstrated similar FR-specific tumor uptake for both regioisomers of each pair of compounds. However, FR-unspecific liver uptake was significantly lower for the α-regioisomers compared to the corresponding γ-regioisomers. In contrast, kidney uptake was up to 50% lower for the γ-regioisomers than for the α-regioisomers. These results show that the site of conjugation in the glutamyl moiety of folic acid has a significant impact on the in vivo behavior of 18F-based radiofolates, but not on their in vitro FR-binding affinity. These findings may potentially stimulate new directions for the design of novel 18F-labeled folate-based radiotracers.
叶酸受体(FR)在各种上皮癌(FR α-异构体)中上调,而在健康组织中只显示有限的表达。因此,使用叶酸放射性药物进行 FR 靶向成像是检测 FR 阳性癌症组织的一种很有前景的方法。几乎所有基于叶酸的放射性药物都是通过在叶酸谷氨酸分子的γ-羧基官能团上进行共轭制备的。在这项工作中,合成了三对氟化α-和γ-共轭叶酸衍生物,并比较了它们的体外和体内特性。采用多步合成方法,包括高选择性的 Cu(I)催化 1,3-二极环化反应,以良好的化学收率合成了所有六种区域异构体。α-和γ-共轭的 18F 标记叶酸衍生物的放射合成具有中等至良好的放射化学收率、较高的放射化学纯度(>95%)和 25 至 196 GBq/μmol 的比活度。在体外,所有叶酸衍生物都显示出与 FR-α 的高结合亲和力(IC50 = 1.4-2.2 nM)。在 FR 阳性 KB 肿瘤小鼠体内进行的 PET 成像和生物分布研究表明,每对化合物的两种区域异构体都有类似的 FR 特异性肿瘤摄取。然而,与相应的γ-区域异构体相比,α-区域异构体对FR-非特异性肝脏摄取量明显较低。相反,肾脏对γ-雷焦异构体的摄取量比对α-雷焦异构体的摄取量低 50%。这些结果表明,叶酸谷酰胺酰基中的共轭部位对 18F 放射性叶酸盐的体内行为有重大影响,但对其体外 FR 结合亲和力没有影响。这些发现有可能为设计新型 18F 标记叶酸类放射性示踪剂提供新的方向。