Synthesis, gallium-68 radiolabelling and biological evaluation of a series of triarylphosphonium-functionalized DO3A chelators
File(s)DT-ART-07-2018-002966 manuscript.pdf (807.01 KB)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Smith, Adam
Blower, Phil
Southworth, Rick
Ma, Michelle
Long, Nicholas
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Radiolabelled lipophilic cations that accumulate in mitochondria according to the magnitude of the mitochondrial membrane potential can be used to report non-invasively on mitochondrial dysfunction in cardiovascular disease, cardiotoxicity, and cancer. While several such cations are already commercially available for SPECT imaging, PET offers greater promise in terms of sensitivity, resolution, and capacity for dynamic imaging and pharmacokinetic modelling. We have therefore synthesised a series of three triarylphosphonium-functionalised DO3A chelators for positron emitter gallium-68, with differing alkyl-functionalisation motifs to provide opportunities for tunable lipophilicity as a means of optimising their pharmacokinetics. To assess their capacity to report on mitochondrial membrane potential, we assessed their pharmacokinetic profiles in isolated tumour cells and isolated perfused rat hearts before and after mitochondrial depolarisation with the ionophore CCCP. All three compounds radiolabelled with over 97% RCY and exhibited log D values of between −3.12 and −1.81. In vitro assessment of the uptake of the radiotracers in cultured tumour cells showed a three-fold increase in uptake compared to unchelated [68Ga]Ga(III). However, each complex exhibited less than 1% retention in healthy hearts, which was not significantly diminished by mitochondrial depolarisation with CCCP. This preliminary work suggests that while this approach is promising, the lipophilicity of this class of tracers must be increased in order for them to be useful as cardiac or cancer imaging agents.
Date Issued
2018-11-21
Date Acceptance
2018-10-03
Citation
Dalton Transactions, 2018, 47, pp.15448-15457
ISSN
1477-9234
Publisher
Royal Society of Chemistry
Start Page
15448
End Page
15457
Journal / Book Title
Dalton Transactions
Volume
47
Copyright Statement
© The Royal Society of Chemistry 2018.
Subjects
0302 Inorganic Chemistry
0399 Other Chemical Sciences
Inorganic & Nuclear Chemistry
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2018-10-09