1.
Hosseinimehr, Seyed Jalal, et al.
(author)
(125)I-Labeled Quercetin as a Novel DNA-Targeted Radiotracer
2011
In: Cancer Biotherapy and Radiopharmaceuticals. - : Mary Ann Liebert Inc. - 1084-9785 .- 1557-8852. ; 26:4, s. 469-475
Journal article (peer-reviewed) abstract
Quercetin is a major flavonoid that is found in most plants; it can intercalate with DNA. The purpose of this study was to investigate radiolabeling of qurecetin with (125)I, DNA binding and cellular process. In this work, quercetin was labeled with Auger emitting nuclide (125)I using chloramine-T. DNA binding of (125)I-quercetin ((125)I-Q) was investigated using cell-free in vitro assay with naked human genomic DNA in agarose plugs. Cellular uptake and nuclei accumulation were evaluated in human prostate cancer cell lines (DU 145). The internalization of (125)I-Q was evaluated with fluorescence microscopy. Cellular damage was monitored by using apoptosis assay. Quercetin was successfully labeled with (125)I, and it was taken up rapidly with cells and accumulated in the cellular nuclei. (125)I-Q-DNA binding was tight with long retention time, and it potentially induced DNA damage. These findings provide for using of (125)I-labeled quercetin as a carrier of Auger electron emitting radionuclide to the cell nuclei for targeted radiotherapy.
2.
Tolmachev, Vladimir, et al.
(author)
Influence of an aliphatic linker between DOTA and synthetic Z(HER2:342) Affibody molecule on targeting properties of the (111)In-labeled conjugate
2011
In: Nuclear Medicine and Biology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0969-8051 .- 1872-9614. ; 38:5, s. 697-706
Journal article (peer-reviewed) abstract
Introduction: Affibody molecules are small (similar to 6.5 kDa) scaffold proteins suitable for radionuclide imaging of rumor-associated molecular targets. Site-specific labeling of Affibody molecules made by peptide synthesis can be achieved by coupling a chelator to N-terminus in the last synthesis step. The goal of this study was to evaluate the influence of a 6-aminohexanoic linker between DOTA and Z(HER2:342) on targeting properties of (111)In-labeled conjugate. Methods: A DOTA-conjugated 6-aminohexanoic linker-containing variant Of Z(HER2:342) (ABY-003) was produced by peptide synthesis, and the in vitro binding affinity, specificity and cellular processing were evaluated. The biodistribution of (111)In-ABY-003 in normal mice was compared to (111)In-ABY-002 (DOTA-Z(HER2:342-pep2)) lacking the linker. Tumor-targeting properties of (111)In-ABY-003 were evaluated in mice bearing HER2-expressing xenografts. Results: The dissociation constant of ABY-003 was in the low picomolar range, slightly higher than for ABY-002. (111)In-ABY-003 bound specifically to HER2-expressing cells in vitro. The cellular retention was efficient but slightly worse than for (111)In-ABY-002. In normal mice, the clearance of (111)In-ABY-003 from blood and other tissues was slightly but significantly faster compared to (111)In-ABY-002. Targeting of HER2-expressing xenografts by (111)In-ABY-003 was receptor-specific. Due to faster clearance, the tumor-to-blood ratio for (111)In-ABY-003 at 4 h postinjection was improved compared to (111)In-ABY-002. The capacity of (111)In-ABY-003 to visualize HER2-expressing tumors was confirmed by gamma camera imaging. Conclusions: A 6-aminohexanoic linker between the DOTA chelator and N-terminus of synthetic Z(HER2:342) had a measurable effect on affinity, cellular retention of radioactivity and blood clearance. The linker might be used for modulation of targeting properties of Affibody molecules.
3.
Tolmachev, Vladimir, et al.
(author)
Optimal specific radioactivity of anti-HER2 Affibody molecules enables discrimination between xenografts with high and low HER2 expression levels
2011
In: European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1619-7070 .- 1619-7089. ; 38:3, s. 531-539
Journal article (peer-reviewed) abstract
Overexpression of the HER2 receptor is a biomarker for predicting those patients who may benefit from trastuzumab therapy. Radiolabelled Affibody molecules can be used to visualize HER2 expression in tumour xenografts with high sensitivity. However, previous studies demonstrated that the difference in uptake in xenografts with high and low HER2 expression levels is not proportional to the difference in expression levels. We hypothesized that discrimination between tumours with high and low HER2 expression may be improved by increasing the injected dose (reducing the specific activity) of the tracer. The influence of injected dose of anti-HER2 In-111-DOTA-Z(HER2) (342) Affibody molecule on uptake in SKOV-3 (high HER2 expression) and LS174T (low expression) xenografts was investigated. The optimal range of injected doses enabling discrimination between xenografts with high and low expression was determined. To verify this, tumour uptake was measured in mice carrying both SKOV-3 and LS174T xenografts after injection of either 1 or 15 mu g In-111-DOTA-Z(HER2:342). An increase in the injected dose caused a linear decrease in the radioactivity accumulation in the LS174T xenografts (low HER2 expression). For SKOV-3 xenografts, the dependence of the tumour uptake on the injected dose was less dramatic. The injection of 10-30 mu g In-111-DOTA-Z(HER2:342) per mouse led to the largest difference in uptake between the two types of tumour. Experiments in mice bearing two xenografts confirmed that the optimized injected dose enabled better discrimination of expression levels. Careful optimization of the injected dose of Affibody molecules is required for maximum discrimination between xenografts with high and low levels of HER2 expression. This information has potential relevance for clinical imaging applications.
4.
Wållberg, Helena, et al.
(author)
Molecular Design and Optimization of Tc-99m-Labeled Recombinant Affibody Molecules Improves Their Biodistribution and Imaging Properties
2011
In: Journal of Nuclear Medicine. - : Society of Nuclear Medicine. - 0161-5505 .- 1535-5667 .- 2159-662X. ; 52:3, s. 461-469
Journal article (peer-reviewed) abstract
Affibody molecules are a recently developed class of targeting proteins based on a nonimmunoglobulin scaffold. The small size (7 kDa) and subnanomolar affinity of Affibody molecules enables high-contrast imaging of tumor-associated molecular targets, particularly human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2). Tc-99m as a label offers advantages in clinical practice, and earlier studies demonstrated that Tc-99m-labeled recombinant Affibody molecules with a C-terminal cysteine could be used for HER2 imaging. However, the renal retention of radioactivity exceeded tumor uptake, which might complicate imaging of metastases in the lumbar region. The aim of this study was to develop an agent with low renal uptake and preserved tumor targeting. Methods: A series of recombinant derivatives of the HER2-binding Z(HER2:342) Affibody molecule with a C-terminal chelating sequence, -GXXC (X denoting glycine, serine, lysine, or glutamate), was designed. The constructs were labeled with Tc-99m and evaluated in vitro and in vivo. Results: All variants were stably labeled with Tc-99m, with preserved capacity to bind specifically to HER2-expressing cells in vitro and in vivo. The composition of the chelating sequence had a clear influence on the cellular processing and biodistribution properties of the Affibody molecules. The best variant, Tc-99m-Z(HER2:V2), with the C-terminal chelating sequence -GGGC, provided the lowest radioactivity retention in all normal organs and tissues including the kidneys. Tc-99m-Z(HER2:V2) displayed high uptake of radioactivity in HER2-expressing xenografts, 22.6 +/- 4.0 and 7.7 +/- 1.5 percentage injected activity per gram of tissue at 4 h after injection in SKOV-3 (high HER2 expression) and DU-145 (low HER2 expression) tumors, respectively. In both models, the tumor uptake exceeded the renal uptake. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that the biodistribution properties of recombinant Tc-99m-labeled Affibody molecules can be optimized by modification of the C-terminal cysteine-containing chelating sequence. Tc-99m-Z(HER2:V2) is a promising candidate for further development as a diagnostic radiopharmaceutical for imaging of HER2-expressing tumors. These results may be useful for the development of imaging agents based on other Affibody molecules and, hopefully, other scaffolds.
