Improved radiosynthesis and preliminary in vivo evaluation of a (18)F-labeled glycopeptide-peptoid hybrid for PET imaging of neurotensin receptor 2.

The neurotensin receptor 2 (NTS2) is an attractive target for cancer imaging, as it is overexpressed in a variety of tumor types including prostate, pancreas and breast carcinoma. The aim of this study was the development of the first NTS2 subtype selective (18)F-labeled radioligand for imaging NTS2 expression in vivo by positron emission tomography (PET). The radiosynthesis of glycopeptoid (18)F-4 was realized by copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC), applying the prosthetic group 6-deoxy-6-[(18)F]fluoroglucosyl azide for (18)F-fluoroglycosylation of the alkyne-terminated NT(8-13) analog Pra-N-Me-Arg-Arg-Pro-N-homo-Tyr-Ile-Leu-OH. The binding affinity of the peptide-peptoid 4 for NTS2 was 7nM with excellent subtype selectivity over NTS1 (260-fold). In vitro autoradiography studies of rat brain slices confirmed the high selectivity of (18)F-4 for NTS2. Biodistribution experiments using HT29 and PC3 tumor-bearing nude mice revealed high renal and only moderate tumor uptake, while PET imaging experiments revealed specific binding of (18)F-4 in NTS2-positive tumors. As (18)F-4 displayed high stability in vitro but fast degradation in vivo, future work will focus on the development of metabolically more stable NT(8-13) analogs.

Dip-in depletion optical lithography of three-dimensional chiral polarizers.

We combine the concepts of dip-in and stimulated-emission-depletion-inspired optical lithography for the first time to fabricate three-dimensional (3D) nanostructures for photonics. For depletion of the photoinitiator ITX we employ a fiber-coupled laser diode at 639 nm wavelength. To demonstrate the performance of the experimental setup, we have fabricated 3D chiral layer-by-layer twisted woodpile structures with a lattice constant reduced by more than a factor of 2 compared to earlier results. The fabricated chiral photonic crystals serve as dual-band polarizers for circular polarization at visible and telecom wavelengths. Spectroscopic measurements agree well with scattering-matrix calculations.

Pharmacological Characterization of Low-to-Moderate Affinity Opioid Receptor Agonists and Brain Imaging with 18F-Labeled Derivatives in Rats.

The 3,4-dichloro-N-(1-(dimethylamino)cyclohexyl)methyl benzamide scaffold was studied as a template for 18F-positron emission tomography (18F-PET) radiotracer development emphasizing sensitivity to changes in opioid receptor (OR) occupancy over high affinity. Agonist potency, binding affinity, and relevant pharmacological parameters of 15 candidates were investigated. Two promising compounds 3b and 3e with µ-OR (MOR) selective agonist activity in the moderate range (EC50 = 1-100 nM) were subjected to 18F-fluorination, autoradiography, and small-animal PET imaging. Radioligands [18F]3b and [18F]3e were obtained in activity yields of 21 ± 5 and 23 ± 4% and molar activities of 25-40 and 200-300 GBq/µmol, respectively. Displaceable binding matching MOR distribution in the brain was confirmed by imaging. Radioligands showed a rapid pharmacokinetic profile; however, metabolite-corrected, blood-based modeling was required for data analysis. Observed BPND was low, although treatment with naloxone leads to a marked decrease in specific binding, confirming the discovery of a new template for 18F-labeled OR-agonist PET ligands.

18F-labelled triazolyl-linked argininamides targeting the neuropeptide Y Y1R for PET imaging of mammary carcinoma.

Neuropeptide Y Y1 receptors (Y1R) have been found to be overexpressed in a number of different tumours, such as breast, ovarian or renal cell cancer. In mammary carcinoma the high Y1R density together with its high incidence of 85% in primary human breast cancers and 100% in breast cancer derived lymph node metastases attracted special attention. Therefore, the aim of this study was the development of radioligands for Y1R imaging by positron emission tomography (PET) with a special emphasis on imaging agents with reduced lipophilicity to provide a PET ligand with improved biodistribution in comparison with previously published tracers targeting the Y1R. Three new radioligands based on BIBP3226, bearing an 18F-fluoroethoxy linker (12), an 18F-PEG-linker (13) or an 18F-fluoroglycosyl moiety (11) were radiosynthesised in high radioactivity yields. The new radioligands displayed Y1R affinities of 2.8 nM (12), 29 nM (13) and 208 nM (11) and were characterised in vitro regarding binding to human breast cancer MCF-7-Y1 cells and slices of tumour xenografts. In vivo, small animal PET studies were conducted in nude mice bearing MCF-7-Y1 tumours. The binding to tumours, solid tumour slices and tumour cells correlated well with the Y1R affinities. Although 12 and 13 showed displaceable and specific binding to Y1R in vitro and in vivo, the radioligands still need to be optimised to achieve higher tumour-to-background ratios for Y1R imaging by PET. Yet the present study is another step towards an optimized PET radioligand for imaging of Y1R in vivo.