Dual-modality imaging of prostate cancer with a fluorescent and radiogallium-labeled gastrin-releasing peptide receptor antagonist Journal Article


Authors: Zhang, H.; Desai, P.; Koike, Y.; Houghton, J.; Carlin, S.; Tandon, N.; Touijer, K.; Weber, W. A.
Article Title: Dual-modality imaging of prostate cancer with a fluorescent and radiogallium-labeled gastrin-releasing peptide receptor antagonist
Abstract: Gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) receptors (GRPr) are frequently overexpressed in human prostate cancer, and radiolabeled GRPr affinity ligands have shown promise for in vivo imaging of prostate cancer with PET. The goal of this study was to develop a dualmodality imaging probe that can be used for noninvasive PET imaging and optical imaging of prostate cancer. Methods: We designed and synthesized an IRDye 650 and DOTA-conjugated GRPr antagonist, HZ220 (DOTA-Lys(IRDye 650)-PEG4-[D-Phe6, Sta13]-BN(6-14)NH2), by reacting DOTA-Lys-PEG4-[D-Phe6, Sta13]-BN(6-14)NH2 (HZ219) with IRDye 650 N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) ester. Receptor-specific binding of gallium-labeled HZ220 was characterized in PC-3 prostate cancer cells (PC-3), and tumor uptake in mice was imaged with PET/CT and fluorescence imaging. Receptor binding affinity, in vivo tumor uptake, and biodistribution were compared with the GRPr antagonists HZ219, DOTA-PEG4-[D-Phe6, Sta13]-BN(6-14)NH2 (DOTA-AR), and DOTA-(4-Amino-1-carboxymethylpiperidine)-[ D-Phe6, Sta13]-BN(6-14)NH2 (DOTA-RM2). Results: After hydrophilic-lipophilic balance cartridge purification, 68Ga-HZ220 was obtained with a radiochemical yield of 56% ± 8% (non-decaycorrected), and the radiochemical purity was greater than 95%. Ga-HZ220 had a lower affinity for GRPr (inhibitory concentration of 50% [IC50], 21.4 ± 7.4 nM) than Ga-DOTA-AR (IC50, 0.48 6 0.18 nM) or Ga-HZ219 (IC50, 0.69 ± 0.18 nM). Nevertheless, 68Ga-HZ220 had an in vivo tumor accumulation similar to 68Ga-DOTA-AR (4.63 ± 0.31 vs. 4.07 ± 0.29 percentage injected activity per mL [%IA/mL] at 1 h after injection) but lower than that of 68Ga-DOTA-RM2 (10.4 ± 0.4 %IA/mL). The tumor uptake of 68Ga-HZ220 was blocked significantly with an excessive amount of GRP antagonists. IVIS spectrum imaging also visualized PC-3 xenografts in vivo and ex vivo with a high-contrast ratio. Autoradiography and fluorescent-based microscopic imaging with 68Ga-HZ220 consistently colocated the expression of GRPr. 68Ga-HZ220 displayed a higher kidney uptake than both 68Ga-DOTA-AR and 68Ga-DOTA-RM2 (16.9 ± 6.5 vs. 4.48 ± 1.63 vs. 5.01 ± 2.29 %IA/mL). Conclusion: 68Ga-HZ220 is a promising bimodal ligand for noninvasive PET imaging and intraoperative optical imaging of GRPr-expressing malignancies. Bimodal nuclear/ fluorescence imaging may not only improve cancer detection and guide surgical resections, but also improve our understanding of the uptake of GRPr ligands on the cellular level. © COPYRIGHT 2017 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.
Keywords: prostate cancer; pet imaging; optical imaging; bombesin antagonist; grp receptor
Journal Title: Journal of Nuclear Medicine
Volume: 58
Issue: 1
ISSN: 0161-5505
Publisher: Society of Nuclear Medicine  
Date Published: 2017-01-01
Start Page: 29
End Page: 35
Language: English
DOI: 10.2967/jnumed.116.176099
PROVIDER: scopus
PUBMED: 27516447
PMCID: PMC5209642
DOI/URL:
Notes: Article -- Export Date: 2 February 2017 -- Source: Scopus
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MSK Authors
  1. Karim Abdelkrim Touijer
    257 Touijer
  2. Hanwen Zhang
    34 Zhang
  3. Sean Denis Carlin
    83 Carlin
  4. Wolfgang Andreas Weber
    173 Weber
  5. Pooja Desai
    10 Desai
  6. Nidhi   Tandon
    9 Tandon
  7. Yusuke   Koike
    2 Koike