The Synthesis and Preclinical Investigation of Lactosamine-Based Radiopharmaceuticals for the Detection of Galectin-3-Expressing Melanoma Cells

Autor: Barbara Gyuricza, Ágnes Szűcs, Judit P. Szabó, Viktória Arató, Zita Képes, Dániel Szücs, Dezső Szikra, György Trencsényi, Anikó Fekete
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Pharmaceutics, Vol 14, Iss 11, p 2504 (2022)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1999-4923
DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14112504
Popis: Given that galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a β-galactoside-binding lectin promoting tumor growth and metastatis, it could be a valuable target for the treatment of Gal-3-expressing neoplasms. An aromatic group introduced to the C-3′ position of lactosamine increased its affinity for Gal-3. Herein, we aimed at developing a radiopharmaceutical for the detection of Gal-3 positive malignancies. To enhance tumor specificity, a heterodimeric radiotracer capable of binding to both Gal-3 and αvβ3 integrin was also synthetized. Arginine-glycine-asparagine (RGD) peptide is the ligand of angiogenesis- and metastasis-associated αvβ3 integrin. Following the synthesis of the chelator-conjugated (2-naphthyl)methylated lactosamine, the obtained compound was applied as a precursor for radiolabeling and was conjugated to the RGD peptide by click reaction as well. Both synthetized precursors were radiolabeled with 68Ga, resulting in high labeling yield (>97). The biological studies were carried out using B16F10 melanoma tumor-bearing C57BL6 mice. High tumor accumulation of both labeled lactosamine derivatives—detected by in vivo PET and ex vivo biodistribution studies—indicated their potential for melanoma detection. However, the heterodimer radiotracer showed high hepatic uptake, while low liver accumulation characterized chelator-conjugated lactosamine, resulting in PET images with excellent contrast. Therefore, this novel carbohydrate-based radiotracer is suitable for the highly selective determination of Gal-3-expressing melanoma cells.
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