PET of Somatostatin Receptor-Positive Tumors Using Cu-64- and Ga-68-Somatostatin Antagonists: The Chelate Makes the Difference
Open Access
- 30 June 2011
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Society of Nuclear Medicine in Journal Of Nuclear Medicine
- Vol. 52 (7), 1110-1118
- https://doi.org/10.2967/jnumed.111.087999
Abstract
Somatostatin-based radiolabeled peptides have been successfully introduced into the clinic for targeted imaging and radionuclide therapy of somatostatin receptor (sst)-positive tumors, especially of subtype 2 (sst2). The clinically used peptides are exclusively agonists. Recently, we showed that radiolabeled antagonists may be preferable to agonists because they showed better pharmacokinetics, including higher tumor uptake. Factors determining the performance of radioantagonists have only scarcely been studied. Here, we report on the development and evaluation of four Cu-64 or Ga-68 radioantagonists for PET of sst2-positive tumors. Methods: The novel antagonist p-Cl-Phecyclo(D-Cys-Tyr-D-4-amino-Phe(carbamoyl)-Lys-Thr-Cys)D-Tyr-NH2 (LM3) was coupled to 3 macrocyclic chelators, namely 4,11-bis(carboxymethyl)-1,4,8,11-tetraazabicyclo[6.6.2]hexadecane (CB-TE2A), 1,4,7-triazacyclononane, 1-glutaric acid-4,7-acetic acid (NODAGA), and DOTA. Cu-64/nat- and Ga-68/nat-NODAGA-LM3 were prepared at room temperature, and Cu-64/nat-CB-TE2A-LM3 and Ga-68/nat-DOTA-LM3 were prepared at 95 degrees C. Binding affinity and antagonistic properties were determined with receptor autoradiography and immunofluorescence microscopy using human embryonic kidney (HEK)-sst2 cells. In vitro internalization and dissociation was evaluated using the same cell line. Biodistribution and small-animal PET studies were performed with HEK-sst2 xenografts. Results: All metallopeptides demonstrated antagonistic properties. The affinities depend on chelator and radiometal and vary about 10-fold; Ga-68/nat-NODAGA-LM3 has the lowest half maximal inhibitory concentration (1.3 +/- 0.3 nmol/L). The biodistribution studies show impressive tumor uptake at 1 h after injection, particularly of Cu-64- and Ga-68-NODAGA-LM3 (similar to 40 percentage injected dose per gram of tissue [%ID/g]), which were proven to be specific. Background clearance was fast and the tumor washout relatively slow for Cu-64-NODAGA-LM3 (similar to 15 %ID/g, 24 h after injection) and almost negligible for Cu-64-CB-TE2A-LM3 (26.9 +/- 3.3 %ID/g and 21.6 +/- 2.1 %ID/g, 4 and 24 h after injection, respectively). Tumor-to-normal-tissue ratios were significantly higher for Cu-64-NODAGA-LM3 than for Cu-64-CB-TE2-ALM3 (tumor-to-kidney, 12.8 +/- 3.6 and 1.7 +/- 0.3, respectively; tumor-to-muscle, 1,342 6 115 and 75.2 +/- 8.5, respectively, at 24 h, P < 0.001). Small-animal PET shows clear tumor localization and high image contrast, especially for Cu-64- and Ga-68-NODAGA-LM3. Conclusion: This article demonstrates the strong dependence of the affinity and pharmacokinetics of the somatostatin-based radioantagonists on the chelator and radiometal. Cu-64- and Ga-68-NODAGA-LM3 and Cu-64-CB-TE2A-LM3 are promising candidates for clinical translation because of their favorable pharmacokinetics and the high image contrast on PET scans.Keywords
This publication has 27 references indexed in Scilit:
- The Role of 68Ga-DOTATATE PET in Patients with Neuroendocrine Tumors and Negative or Equivocal Findings on 111In-DTPA-Octreotide ScintigraphyJournal of Nuclear Medicine, 2010
- 68Ga-DOTANOC PET/CT Clinical Impact in Patients with Neuroendocrine TumorsJournal of Nuclear Medicine, 2010
- 90Y-Edotreotide for Metastatic Carcinoid Refractory to OctreotideJournal of Clinical Oncology, 2010
- Somatostatin receptor-based imaging and therapy of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumorsEndocrine-Related Cancer, 2010
- 68Ga-DOTA-Tyr3-Octreotide PET for Assessing Response to Somatostatin-Receptor–Mediated Radionuclide TherapyJournal of Nuclear Medicine, 2009
- Preparation and Biological Evaluation of 64Cu-CB-TE2A-sst2-ANT, a Somatostatin Antagonist for PET Imaging of Somatostatin Receptor–Positive TumorsJournal of Nuclear Medicine, 2008
- Treatment With the Radiolabeled Somatostatin Analog [177Lu-DOTA0,Tyr3]Octreotate: Toxicity, Efficacy, and SurvivalJournal of Clinical Oncology, 2008
- 68Ga‐PET: a powerful generator‐based alternative to cyclotron‐based PET radiopharmaceuticalsContrast Media & Molecular Imaging, 2008
- Radiolabeled somatostatin receptor antagonists are preferable to agonists forin vivopeptide receptor targeting of tumorsProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2006
- Somatostatin receptor sst1–sst5 expression in normal and neoplastic human tissues using receptor autoradiography with subtype-selective ligandsEuropean Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, 2001