Trifluoromethyl fluorocoxib a detects cyclooxygenase-2 expression in inflammatory tissues and human tumor xenografts.

Fluorocoxib A is an effective COX-2-targeted optical imaging agent, used for in vivo detection of inflammatory tissues and premalignant and malignant tumors that express elevated levels of COX-2 (Uddin et al. Cancer Res. 2010, 70, 3618-3627). In an effort to discover novel optical probes for COX-2, a trifluoromethyl analogue of fluorocoxib A (CF3-fluorocoxib A) was synthesized and evaluated for its ability to inhibit COX-2 in vitro purified enzyme and human cancer cell lines. Kinetic analysis revealed that CF3-fluorocoxib A is a slow, tight binding inhibitor of COX-2 that exhibits low nanomolar inhibitory potency. While CF3-fluorocoxib A and fluorocoxib A are similar in structure, CF3-fluorocoxib A shows improved potency in inhibition of wtCOX-2 and with a series of site-directed COX-2 mutants. After intraperitoneal injection, selective uptake of CF3-fluorocoxib A is detected in inflamed mouse paws compared to noninflamed contralateral paws by optical imaging, and uptake is blocked by pretreatment with the COX-2 inhibitor, celecoxib. Selective uptake is also detected in the COX-2-positive human tumor xenografts (1483 HNSCC) as compared with the COX-2-negative tumor xenografts (HCT116) in an in vivo nude mouse tumor model. These in vitro and in vivo studies suggest that binding to COX-2 is the major determinant of uptake of CF3-fluorocoxib A into the inflamed tissues and tumor xenografts. Thus, this new COX-2-targeted imaging probe should find utility in the detection and evaluation of COX-2 status in naturally occurring malignancies.

Fluorinated COX-2 inhibitors as agents in PET imaging of inflammation and cancer.

COX-2 is a major contributor to the inflammatory response and cancer progression so it is an important target for prevention and therapy. COX-2 is absent or expressed at low levels in most epithelial cells but is found at high levels in inflammatory lesions, and many premalignant and malignant tumors. Thus, it is an attractive target for molecular imaging. We report a series of novel fluorinated imaging agents, derived from indomethacin or celecoxib that selectively inhibit COX-2. The most promising lead, compound 7, was a fluorinated derivative of celecoxib. Kinetic analysis revealed that this fluorinated compound is a slow, tight-binding inhibitor of COX-2 and exhibits minimal inhibitory activity against COX-1. Efficient incorporation of (18)F into compound 7 by radiochemical synthesis and intravenous injection provided sufficient signal for in vivo positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. Selective uptake of (18)F-7 was observed in inflamed rat paws compared with the noninflamed contralateral paws and uptake was blocked by pretreatment with the COX-2 inhibitor, celecoxib. Uptake of (18)F-7 was not observed when inflammation was induced in COX-2-null mice. In nude mice bearing both a COX-2-expressing human tumor xenograft (1483) and a COX-2-negative xenograft (HCT116), (18)F-7 selectively accumulated in the COX-2-expressing tumor. Accumulation was blocked by pretreatment of the animals with celecoxib. The in vitro and in vivo properties of compound 7 suggest it will be a useful probe for early detection of cancer and for evaluation of the COX-2 status of premalignant and malignant tumors.