Radiolabeled R954 Derivatives for Imaging Bradykinin B1 Receptor Expression with Positron Emission Tomography

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Abstract
Peptide receptors have emerged as promising targets for diagnosis and therapy. The aberrant overexpression of these receptors in different cancer subtypes allows for the adoption of new treatment strategies that complement conventional chemotherapies. Bradykinin B1 receptor (B1R) is a G protein-coupled receptor that is overexpressed in many cancers, with limited expression in healthy tissues. Previously, we developed 68Ga- and 18F-labeled derivatives of B1R antagonist peptides B9858 and B9958, and successfully targeted B1R-expressing tumor xenografts in vivo. R954 (Ac-Orn-Arg-Oic-Pro-Gly-αMePhe-Ser-d-2-Nal-Ile), a potent B1R antagonist, is reportedly more stable than B9858 against peptidase degradation. We evaluated two radiolabeled derivatives of R954 (68Ga-HTK01083 and 18F-HTK01146) for B1R PET imaging. Peptides were synthesized via solid phase strategy. Nonradioactive standards were obtain by reacting GaCl3 with DOTA-dPEG2-R954 and by clicking N-propargyl-N,N-dimethylammoniomethyl-trifluoroborate with azidoacetyl-dPEG2-R954. Binding affinity for B1R was determined by an in vitro competition binding assay. 68Ga-HTK01083 was obtained by incubating DOTA-dPEG2-R954 with 68GaCl3 under acidic conditions, while 18F-HTK01146 was prepared via an 18F–19F isotope exchange reaction. Biodistribution and imaging studies were conducted at 1 h postinjection (p.i.) in mice inoculated with B1R-expressing (B1R+) and B1R-nonexpressing (B1R−) cells. HTK01083 and HTK01146 bound B1R with good affinity (Ki = 30.5 and 24.8 nM, respectively). 68Ga/18F-labeled R954 were obtained on average in ≥10% decay-corrected radiochemical yield with >99% radiochemical purity and ≥52 GBq/μmol specific activity. For both tracers, clearance was predominantly renal with minimal involvement of the hepatobiliary system. For PET images, B1R+ tumors, kidneys, and bladder were visible. At 1 h p.i., uptake in B1R+ tumor was comparable between 68Ga-HTK01083 (8.46 ± 1.44%ID/g) and 18F-HTK01146 (9.25 ± 0.69%ID/g). B1R+ tumor-to-blood and B1R+ tumor-to-muscle ratios were 6.32 ± 1.44 and 20.7 ± 3.58 for 68Ga-HTK01083, and 7.24 ± 2.56 and 19.5 ± 4.29 for 18F-HTK01146. Our results indicate R954 is a good lead sequence for optimization of B1R tracers for cancer imaging.
Funding Information
  • Leading Edge Endowment Fund
  • Institute of Cancer Research (MOP-126121)

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