Initial In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of a Novel CCK2R Targeting Peptide Analog Labeled with Lutetium-177

Autor: Anton Amadeus Hörmann, Maximilian Klingler, Maliheh Rezaeianpour, Nikolas Hörmann, Ronald Gust, Soraya Shahhosseini, Elisabeth von Guggenberg
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2020
Předmět:
Zdroj: Molecules, Vol 25, Iss 19, p 4585 (2020)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 25194585
1420-3049
DOI: 10.3390/molecules25194585
Popis: Targeting of cholecystokinin-2 receptor (CCK2R) expressing tumors using radiolabeled minigastrin (MG) analogs is hampered by rapid digestion of the linear peptide in vivo. In this study, a new MG analog stabilized against enzymatic degradation was investigated in preclinical studies to characterize the metabolites formed in vivo. The new MG analog DOTA-DGlu-Pro-Tyr-Gly-Trp-(N-Me)Nle-Asp-1Nal-NH2 comprising site-specific amino acid substitutions in position 2, 6 and 8 and different possible metabolites thereof were synthesized. The receptor interaction of the peptide and selected metabolites was evaluated in a CCK2R-expressing cell line. The enzymatic stability of the 177Lu-labeled peptide analog was evaluated in vitro in different media as well as in BALB/c mice up to 1 h after injection and the metabolites were identified based on radio-HPLC analysis. The new radiopeptide showed a highly increased stability in vivo with >56% intact radiopeptide in the blood of BALB/c mice 1 h after injection. High CCK2R affinity and cell uptake was confirmed only for the intact peptide, whereas enzymatic cleavage within the receptor specific C-terminal amino acid sequence resulted in complete loss of affinity and cell uptake. A favorable biodistribution profile was observed in BALB/c mice with low background activity, preferential renal excretion and prolonged uptake in CCK2R-expressing tissues. The novel stabilized MG analog shows high potential for diagnostic and therapeutic use. The radiometabolites characterized give new insights into the enzymatic degradation in vivo.
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