Evaluation of [¹²³I]-CLINDE as a potent SPECT radiotracer to assess the degree of astroglia activation in cuprizone-induced neuroinflammation.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility and sensitivity of the high-affinity translocator protein (TSPO) ligand [(123)I]-CLINDE in imaging TSPO changes in vivo and characterise and compare astroglial and TSPO changes in the cuprizone model of demyelination and remyelination in C57BL/6 mice. METHODS: C57BL/6 mice were fed with cuprizone for 4 weeks to induce demyelination followed by 2-4 weeks of standard diet (remyelination). Groups of mice were followed by in vivo single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/CT imaging using [(123)I]-CLINDE and uptake correlated with biodistribution, autoradiography, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: The uptake of [(123)I]-CLINDE in the brain as measured by SPECT imaging over the course of treatment reflects the extent of the physiological response, with significant increases observed during demyelination followed by a decrease in uptake during remyelination. This was confirmed by autoradiography and biodistribution studies. A positive correlation between TSPO expression and astrogliosis was found and both activated astrocytes and microglial cells expressed TSPO. [(123)I]-CLINDE uptake reflects astrogliosis in brain structures such as corpus callosum, caudate putamen, medium septum and olfactory tubercle as confirmed by both in vitro and in vivo results. CONCLUSION: The dynamics in the cuprizone-induced astroglial and TSPO changes, observed by SPECT imaging, were confirmed by immunofluorescence, RT-PCR and autoradiography. The highly specific TSPO radioiodinated ligand CLINDE can be used as an in vivo marker for early detection and monitoring of a variety of neuropathological conditions using noninvasive brain imaging techniques.

Discovery of [18F]N-(2-(diethylamino)ethyl)-6-fluoronicotinamide: a melanoma positron emission tomography imaging radiotracer with high tumor to body contrast ratio and rapid renal clearance.

The high melanoma uptake and rapid body clearance displayed by our series of [(123)I]iodonicotinamides prompted the development of [(18)F]N-(2-(diethylamino)ethyl)-6-fluoronicotinamide ([(18)F]2), a novel radiotracer for PET melanoma imaging. Significantly, unlike fluorobenzoates, [(18)F]fluorine incorporation on the nicotinamide ring is one step, facile, and high yielding. [(18)F]2 displayed high tumor uptake, rapid body clearance via predominantly renal excretion, and is currently being evaluated in preclinical studies for progression into clinical trials to assess the responsiveness of therapeutic agents.

Rapid cortico-limbic alterations in AMPA receptor densities after administration of PCP: implications for schizophrenia.

Phencyclidine (PCP), a non-competitive NMDA/glutamate receptor antagonist, is a psychotomimetic drug that produces a syndrome in normal humans that resembles schizophrenia. The present study investigated the mechanisms of PCP actions by examining the density of glutamate and muscarinic receptors in the rat brain 4h after a single injection of PCP. We used receptor autoradiography and [3H]MK801, [3H]AMPA, [3H]pirenzepine and [3H]AFDX384 to target glutamate NMDA, glutamate AMPA and muscarinic M1 and M2 receptors, respectively. The major outcome from the present study was an overall decrease in levels of the glutamate AMPA receptor density (F=14.5, d.f.=1, p<0.001) in the PCP treated rats. More specifically, PCP-treated animals displayed decreased AMPA receptor density in hippocampus CA1 (-16%), hippocampus CA2 (-25%), dentate gyrus (-27%), parietal cortex layers III-VI (-19%), central nucleus of the amygdala (-40%), and basolateral amygdala (-19%). Other brain regions examined were unaffected. PCP administration did not significantly affect glutamate NMDA, muscarinic M1 and M2 receptor density. The present study demonstrates the limbic system as the anatomical locus of alterations in AMPA receptor density after acute administration of PCP and may have implications for models of schizophrenia that focus on glutamatergic dysfunction in limbic cortical regions.

Synthesis and evaluation of novel radioiodinated benzamides for malignant melanoma.

The imaging potential of a series of [123I]benzamides was studied in mice bearing B16F0 melanoma tumors. Compound [123I]25 exhibited tumor uptake >8 %ID/g at 1 h, while that of [123I]14d and [123I]25 reached a maximum of 9-12 %ID/g at 6 h. Standardized uptake values of [123I]14d were higher than 100 between 24 and 72 h after injection. In haloperidol treated animals, the tumor uptake of [123I]14d was not significantly different to controls, while significant reduction of [123I]25 uptake was observed, supporting that [123I]14d uptake relates to melanin interaction, whereas part of the mechanism of [123I]25 uptake is related to its sigma 1-receptor affinity. Benzamides 14d and 25, which display rapid and high tumor uptake, appear to be promising imaging agents for melanoma detection, while 14d, which displays a long lasting and high melanoma/nontarget ratio, is more suitable for evaluation as a potential radiotherapeutic.

Detection of apoptotic cell death in the thymus of dexamethasone treated rats using [123I]annexin V and in situ oligonucleotide ligation.

In the present study we aimed to establish an animal model of dexamethasone (DEX)-induced apoptosis in the thymus of rats. The degree of apoptosis was determined in the same animals at 6 and 11 h after a single administration of DEX (5 mg/kg, ip) by (a) in vivo biodistribution of the uptake of [(123)I]Annexin V, a biomarker of the early stages of apoptosis; (b) in vitro evaluation of the apoptotic index (percentage of number of apoptotic cells versus total number of cells) in the form of DNA fragmentation, on tissue sections using in situ oligo ligation (ISOL). ISOL demonstrated a 62- and 90-fold increase of apoptotic index at 6 and 11 h after DEX administration respectively, in the outer part of the thymic lobule (cortex) and a 25- and 54-fold increases in the inner part of the thymic lobule (medulla) in the corresponding treatment groups. In the biodistribution study, [(123)I]Annexin V uptake was significantly increased in the thymus of rats 11 h after DEX administration (by 1.3- to 1.4-fold) and significantly decreased at the 6-h time point. We conclude that the specificity of the apoptotic signal provided by isotopic methods in vivo would always require confirmation by complementary in vitro techniques that verify the assessment of ongoing apoptosis accurately.

Preparation and biologic evaluation of a novel radioiodinated benzylpiperazine, 123I-MEL037, for malignant melanoma.

UNLABELLED: Radiopharmaceuticals that can target the random metastatic dissemination of melanoma tumors may present opportunities for imaging and staging the disease as well as potential radiotherapeutic applications. A novel molecule, 2-(2-(4-(4-(123)I-iodobenzyl)piperazin-1-yl)-2-oxoethyl)isoindoline-1,3-dione (MEL037), was synthesized, labeled with 123I, and evaluated for application in melanoma tumor scintigraphy and radiotherapy. METHODS: The tumor imaging potential of 123I-MEL037 was studied in vivo in C57BL/6J female mice bearing the B16F0 murine melanoma tumor and in BALB/c nude mice bearing the A375 human amelanotic melanoma tumor by biodistribution, competition studies, and SPECT. RESULTS: 123I-MEL037 exhibited high and rapid uptake in the B16F0 melanoma tumor at 1 h (13 %ID/g [percentage injected dose per gram]), increasing with time to reach 25 %ID/g at 6 h. A significant uptake was also observed in the eyes (2 %ID, at 3-6 h after injection) of black mice. No uptake was observed in the tumor or in the eyes of nude mice bearing the A375 tumor. Because of high uptake and long retention in the tumor and rapid body clearance, the mean contrast ratios (MCR) of 123I-MEL037 were 30 and 60, at 24 and 48 h after injection, respectively. At 24 h after injection of mice bearing the B16 melanoma, SPECT indicated that the radioactivity was located predominately in the tumor followed by the eyes, whereas no specific localization of the radioactivity was noted in mice bearing the A375 human amelanotic tumor. In competition experiments, uptake of 123I-MEL037 in brain, lung, heart, and kidney--organs known to contain sigma-receptors--was not significantly different in haloperidol-treated animals compared with control animals. Therefore, reduction of uptake in tumor and eyes of the pigmented mice bearing the B16F0 tumor suggested that the mechanism of tumor uptake was likely due to an interaction with melanin. CONCLUSION: These findings suggested that 123I-MEL037, which displays a rapid and very high tumor uptake, appeared to be a promising imaging agent for detection of most melanoma tumors with the potential for development as a therapeutic agent in melanoma tumor proliferation.