Novel molecular imaging ligands targeting matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 9 for imaging of unstable atherosclerotic plaques.

Molecular imaging of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) may allow detection of atherosclerotic lesions vulnerable to rupture. In this study, we develop a novel radiolabelled compound that can target gelatinase MMP subtypes (MMP2/9) with high selectivity and inhibitory potency. Inhibitory potencies of several halogenated analogues of MMP subtype-selective inhibitors (N-benzenesulfonyliminodiacetyl monohydroxamates and N-halophenoxy-benzenesulfonyl iminodiacetyl monohydroxamates) were in the nanomolar range for MMP2/9. The analogue with highest inhibitory potency and selectivity was radiolabelled with [123I], resulting in moderate radiochemical yield, and high radiochemical purity. Biodistribution studies in mice, revealed stabilization in blood 1 hour after intravenous bolus injection. Intravenous infusion of the radioligand and subsequent autoradiography of excised aortas showed tracer uptake in atheroprone mice. Distribution of the radioligand showed co-localization with MMP2/9 immunohistochemical staining. In conclusion, we have developed a novel selective radiolabeled MMP2/9 inhibitor, suitable for single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging that effectively targets atherosclerotic lesions in mice.

Cytolytic virus activation therapy and treatment monitoring for Epstein-Barr virus associated nasopharyngeal carcinoma in a mouse tumor model.

Undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is 100% associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Expression of viral proteins in the tumor cells is highly restricted. EBV reactivation by CytoLytic Virus Activation (CLVA) therapy triggers de novo expression of early viral kinases (PK and TK) and uses antiviral treatment to kill activated cells. The mechanism of tumor elimination by CLVA was analyzed in NPC mouse model using C666.1 cells. Valproic acid (VPA) was combined with gemcitabine (GCb) to stimulate EBV reactivation, followed by antiviral treatment with ganciclovir (GCV). A single cycle of CLVA treatment resulted in specific tumor cell killing as indicated by reduced tumor volume, loss of EBV-positive cells in situ, and paralleled by decreased EBV DNA levels in circulation, which was more pronounced than treatment with GCb alone. In vivo reactivation was confirmed by presence of lytic gene transcripts and proteins in tumors 6 days after GCb/VPA treatment. Virus reactivation was visualized by [124 I]-FIAU accumulation in tumors using PET-scan. This studied showed that CLVA therapy is a potent EBV-specific targeting approach for killing tumor cells. The [124 I]-FIAU appears valuable as PET tracer for studies on CLVA drug dosage and kinetics in vivo, and may find clinical application in treatment monitoring.

The Cu(+)-assisted radioiodination Kit: Mechanistic study of unexplored parameters concerning the acidity and redox properties of the reaction medium.

Nucleophilic Cu(+)-assisted radioiodination can be optimally performed at pH approximately 2.3 by using conventional reducing agents such as gentisic acid and SnSO(4), mixed or separately. A mechanistic overview of the Cu(+)-radioiodination method is presented in the extended pH-range of 1-4.4. At lower pH, these usual reducing agents show a distinct behaviour. Oxidizing acids (HSO(4)(-), H(3)PO(4)) must be avoided, where as redox neutral acids (trifluoroacetic acid or methanesulfonic acid) or reducing acids (H(2)SO(3), H(3)PO(2)) are well tolerated. The presence of reducing acids makes the use of the usual reducing agents redundant.

Characterization of the SPECT 5-HT2A receptor ligand 123I-R91150 in healthy volunteers: Part 1--pseudoequilibrium interval and quantification methods.

UNLABELLED: With the aim of characterizing radioiodinated 4-amino-N-1-[3-(4-fluorophenoxy)propyl]-4-methyl-4-piperidinyl]5-iodo-2-methoxybenzamide ((123)I-R91150) as a SPECT ligand for subtype 2A of the 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor (5-HT(2A)), tracer kinetic compartmental analyses were compared with the tissue ratio method (TR). The pseudoequilibrium interval after a single bolus injection was identified, and a reference database of specific uptake ratio (SUR) values was obtained. Within-scan and between-subject variability was also assessed. METHODS: Nineteen healthy men (mean age +/- SD, 24.4 +/- 3.3 y) were included and separated into 2 groups. Dynamic scans with venous blood sampling from 0 to 470 min after a single bolus injection of (123)I-R91150 was completed for 7 of the 9 subjects included in group A, and in one of them compartmental modeling was performed with an arterial blood input function using 1-tissue-compartment (1TC) and 2-tissue-compartment (2TC) models. Binding potential (BP) using the simplified reference tissue model (SRTM) (BP(SRTM)) and SUR values using TR over time were also calculated. The 10 remaining subjects (group B) underwent a single scan at pseudoequilibrium with the aim of improving the precision of mean normal SUR estimates. Regions of interest in cortical regions and basal ganglia for specific uptake, and in cerebellum for nonspecific uptake, were manually drawn on each subject's MR images and translated to the corresponding SPECT slices after coregistration. RESULTS: The 1TC model correlated well with the 2TC model (BP(2TC) = 1.04.BP(1TC) - 0.01, R(2) = 0.98), and both methods correlated with BP(SRTM) and SUR with little bias (BP(1TC) = 1.10 BP(SRTM) + 0.03, R(2) = 0.98; BP(2TC) = 1.15 BP(SRTM) + 0.01, R(2) = 0.98; BP(SRTM) = 0.99 SUR(mean) + 0.01, R(2) = 0.98). SUR values stabilized from 180 min after injection in most cortical regions, ranging from 0.51 +/- 0.10 in the orbitofrontal region to 0.27 +/- 0.09 in the parietal region. Within-scan and between-subject variability among regions ranged from 10% to 14.8%, and from 18.3% to 35.4%, respectively. CONCLUSION: (123)I-R91150 distribution agrees with autoradiography results, showing highly specific binding in cortical regions. The correlations found among 1TC, 2TC, SRTM, and TR outcome measurements support the use of TR for quantification of 5-HT(2A) receptor binding with (123)I-R91150 SPECT and a simple protocol avoiding arterial blood sampling and serial scanning over time.

Characterization of the SPECT 5-HT2A receptor ligand 123I-R91150 in healthy volunteers: part 2--ketanserin displacement.

UNLABELLED: As part of the radioiodinated 4-amino-N-1-[3-(4-fluorophenoxy)propyl]-4-methyl-4-piperidinyl]5-iodo-2-methoxybenzamide ((123)I-R91150) characterization study, ketanserin challenges were performed on healthy volunteers with the aim of assessing the specificity of (123)I-R91150 binding to subtype 2A of the 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor (5-HT(2A)), the sensitivity of (123)I-R91150 SPECT in measuring ligand displacement, the relationship between ketanserin plasma concentrations and (123)I-R91150 displacement, and the suitability of the cerebellum as a reference region for quantification. METHODS: Dynamic SPECT was performed on 6 healthy men (mean age +/- SD, 21 +/- 0.89 y) from the time of (123)I-R91150 injection until 470 min afterward. Ketanserin was administered intravenously at 210 min after injection at 3 doses: 0.1 mg/kg (n = 2), 0.05 mg/kg (n = 2), and 0.015 mg/kg (n = 2). Blood samples for measurement of ketanserin plasma concentrations were drawn. MRI was performed on all subjects and coregistered to the SPECT data for region-of-interest drawing on cortical regions and cerebellum. The simplified reference tissue model (SRTM) was considered the gold standard for quantification, and results were compared with those obtained with the tissue ratio method (TR). The percentage (123)I-R91150 displacement was calculated with both methods as the percentage difference between baseline and postketanserin scans. RESULTS: Depending on the cerebral regions with the maximum ketanserin dose studied, SRTM and TR mean displacements were 57.1%-95.4% and 71.9%-101.2%, respectively, for the 0.1 mg/kg dose; 51.7%-91.4% and 56.7%-102.8%, respectively, for the 0.05 mg/kg dose; and 7.7%-54.5% and 13.8%-47.0%, respectively, for the lowest dose, 0.015 mg/kg. A good correlation was found between the 2 methods. No ketanserin-induced displacement was observed in the cerebellum time-activity curves, supporting the use of the cerebellum as a reference region. The relationship between displacement and ketanserin plasma concentration fit with a rectangular hyperbola, with a 5.6 ng/mL concentration associated with 50% of the maximum displacement (EC(50)). EC(50) values calculated using occupancies derived both with SRTM and with TR were in good agreement. CONCLUSION: (123)I-R91150 SPECT is sensitive enough to measure ketanserin dose-dependent displacement in cerebral regions rich in 5-HT(2A) receptors. These results support the selectivity of (123)I-R91150 for 5-HT(2A) receptors and its use as a SPECT ligand for measurements of drug-induced 5-HT(2A) receptor occupancy in humans.

No-carrier-added versus carrier-added123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine for the assessment of cardiac sympathetic nerve activity.

PURPOSE: No-carrier-added (nca) MIBG is primarily associated with specific uptake (i.e. uptake-1 mechanism). We evaluated the hypothesis that nca MIBG will be less influenced by changes in extra-neuronal uptake (i.e. uptake-2 mechanism) compared with carrier-added (ca) MIBG. METHODS: No-carrier-added MIBG was compared with ca MIBG of two different manufacturers (ca MIBG-1 and ca MIBG-2, with a specific activity of 200 Mq/mumol and 40 MBq/mumol MIBG respectively) in rats (n=6 per group): controls, blocking uptake-1 (desipramine) and blocking uptake-2 (phenoxybenzamine hydrochloride). Dedicated pinhole SPECT was performed 2 h after injection of the radiotracer. After SPECT, biodistribution was assessed [% injected dose per gram tissue (%ID)]. RESULTS: No-carrier-added MIBG had the highest absolute cardiac uptake. Although a clear trend was observed, nca MIBG was not statistically significantly different from ca MIBG-1 (0.31+/-0.05 %ID vs 0.25+/-0.01 %ID,p=0.05). Blocking uptake-1 resulted in a significant decrease in absolute cardiac uptake only for nca MIBG (0.22+/-0.03 %ID,p=0.004). Blocking uptake-2 resulted in a significant reduction in ca MIBG-1 cardiac uptake (0.14+/-0.02 %ID,p=0.0001), but not in the cardiac uptake of nca MIBG or MIBG-2. SPECT showed the highest relative cardiac uptake for nca MIBG. Poor contrast between myocardium and surrounding tissue hampered assessment of relative cardiac uptake on SPECT of both ca MIBG-1 and ca MIBG-2. CONCLUSION: No-carrier-added MIBG yields a higher myocardial uptake than ca MIBG and is associated with a higher specific as well as a lower non-neuronal uptake. We therefore conclude that for the scintigraphic assessment of the myocardial sympathetic nervous system, nca MIBG is to be preferred over ca MIBG.

Synthesis and evaluation of radiolabeled analogs of the antidepressant drug zimelidine as potential SPECT-ligands for the serotonin transporter.

Z-3-(4-bromophenyl)-N,N-dimethyl-3-(3-pyridinyl)-2-propen-1-amine or zimelidine (ZIM) and its first metabolite nor-zimelidine, were radioiodinated via a nonisotopic exchange, using the Cu(I)-assisted nucleophilic labeling method. To evaluate their potential as SPECT ligands for the serotonin transporter (SERT), the biodistribution of both ligands was determined and pretreatment "blocking" studies performed. Both radioligands demonstrated a good brain penetration of 0.8-1% ID/g, stable after 60 min., p.i., and a brain/blood ratio of up to 3. In vivo brain distribution did not reveal specific binding. Blocking studies by pretreatment with a known SERT ligand, had minor influence on the uptake of [(123)I]I-ZIM, between the several isolated brain regions. It may therefore be concluded that [(123)I]I-ZIM and [(123)I]I-nor-ZIM do not appear to be promising SPECT ligands for the SERT.