Structural Characterization of the Solution Chemistry of Zirconium(IV) Desferrioxamine: A Coordination Sphere Completed by Hydroxides.

Positron emission tomography (PET) using radiolabeled, monoclonal antibodies has become an effective, noninvasive method for tumor detection and is a critical component of targeted radionuclide therapy. Metal ion chelator and bacterial siderophore desferrioxamine (DFO) is the gold standard compound for incorporation of zirconium-89 in radiotracers for PET imaging because it is thought to form a stable chelate with [89Zr]Zr4+. However, DFO may not bind zirconium-89 tightly in vivo, with free zirconium-89 reportedly liberated into the bones of experimental mouse models. Although high bone uptake has not been observed to date in humans, this potential instability has been proposed to be related to the unsaturated coordination sphere of [89Zr]Zr-DFO, which is thought to consist of the 3 hydroxamate groups of DFO and 1 or 2 water molecules. In this study, we have used a combination of X-ray absorption spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) geometry optimization calculations to further probe the coordination chemistry of this complex in solution. We find the extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) curve fitting of an aqueous solution of Zr(IV)-DFO to be consistent with an 8-coordinate Zr with oxygen ligands. DFT calculations suggest that the most energetically favorable Zr(IV) coordination environment in DFO likely consists of the 3 hydroxamate ligands from DFO, each with bidentate coordination, and 2 hydroxide ligands. Further EXAFS curve fitting provides additional support for this model. Therefore, we propose that the coordination sphere of Zr(IV)-DFO is most likely completed by 2 hydroxide ligands rather than 2 water molecules, forming Zr(DFO)(OH)2.

89Zr-Labeled AR20.5: A MUC1-Targeting ImmunoPET Probe.

High expression levels of the tumor-associated antigen MUC1 have been correlated with tumor aggressiveness, poor response to therapy, and poor survival in several tumor types, including breast, pancreatic, and epithelial ovarian cancer. Herein, we report the synthesis, characterization, and in vivo evaluation of a novel radioimmunoconjugate for the immuno-positron emission tomography (immunoPET) imaging of MUC1 expression based on the AR20.5 antibody. To this end, we modified AR20.5 with the chelator desferrioxamine (DFO) and labeled it with the positron-emitting radiometal zirconium-89 (t1/2 ~3.3 d) to produce [89Zr]Zr-DFO-AR20.5. In subsequent in vivo experiments in athymic nude mice bearing subcutaneous MUC1-expressing ovarian cancer xenografts, [89Zr]Zr-DFO-AR20.5 clearly delineated tumor tissue, producing a tumoral activity concentration of 19.1 ± 6.4 percent injected dose per gram (%ID/g) at 120 h post-injection and a tumor-to-muscle activity concentration ratio of 42.4 ± 10.6 at the same time point. Additional PET imaging experiments in mice bearing orthotopic MUC1-expressing ovarian cancer xenografts likewise demonstrated that [89Zr]Zr-DFO-AR20.5 enables the visualization of tumor tissue-including metastatic lesions-with promising tumor-to-background contrast.