Clickable C-Glycosyl Scaffold for the Development of a Dual Fluorescent and [18F]fluorinated Cyanine-Containing Probe and Preliminary In Vitro/Vivo Evaluation by Fluorescence Imaging

Considering the individual characteristics of positron emission tomography (PET) and optical imaging (OI) in terms of sensitivity, spatial resolution, and tissue penetration, the development of dual imaging agents for bimodal PET/OI imaging is a growing field. A current major breakthrough in this field is the design of monomolecular agent displaying both a radioisotope for PET and a fluorescent dye for OI. We took advantage of the multifunctionalities allowed by a clickable C-glycosyl scaffold to gather the different elements. We describe, for the first time, the synthesis of a cyanine-based dual PET/OI imaging probe based on a versatile synthetic strategy and its direct radiofluorination via [¹⁸F]F-C bond formation. The non-radioactive dual imaging probe coupled with two c(RGDfK) peptides was evaluated in vitro and in vivo in fluorescence imaging. The binding on α_vβ₃ integrin (IC₅₀ = 16 nM) demonstrated the efficiency of the dimeric structure and PEG linkers in maintaining the affinity. In vivo fluorescence imaging of U-87 MG engrafted nude mice showed a high tumor uptake (40- and 100-fold increase for orthotopic and ectopic brain tumors, respectively, compared to healthy brain). In vitro and in vivo evaluations and resection of the ectopic tumor demonstrated the potential of the conjugate in glioblastoma cancer diagnosis and image-guided surgery.

18 F-Labeling of Sensitive Biomolecules for Positron Emission Tomography

Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging study of fluorine-18 labeled biomolecules is an emerging and rapidly growing area for preclinical and clinical research. The present review focuses on recent advances in radiochemical methods for incorporating fluorine-18 into biomolecules via "direct" or "indirect" bioconjugation. Recently developed prosthetic groups and pre-targeting strategies, as well as representative examples in 18 F-labeling of biomolecules in PET imaging research studies are highlighted.

Click Reaction: An Applicable Radiolabeling Method for Molecular Imaging

In recent years, the click reaction has found rapidly growing applications in the field of radiochemistry, ranging from a practical labeling method to molecular imaging of biomacromolecules. This present review details the development of highly reliable, powerful and selective click chemistry reactions for the rapid synthesis of new radiotracers for molecular imaging.

18F-labeling using click cycloadditions

Due to expanding applications of positron emission tomography (PET) there is a demand for developing new techniques to introduce fluorine-18 (t_1/2 = 109.8 min). Considering that most novel PET tracers are sensitive biomolecules and that direct introduction of fluorine-18 often needs harsh conditions, the insertion of ¹⁸F in those molecules poses an exceeding challenge. Two major challenges during ¹⁸F-labeling are a regioselective introduction and a fast and high yielding way under mild conditions. Furthermore, attention has to be paid to functionalities, which are usually present in complex structures of the target molecule. The Cu-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) and several copper-free click reactions represent such methods for radiolabeling of sensitive molecules under the above-mentioned criteria. This minireview will provide a quick overview about the development of novel ¹⁸F-labeled prosthetic groups for click cycloadditions and will summarize recent trends in copper-catalyzed and copper-free click ¹⁸F-cycloadditions.

Recent trends in bioorthogonal click-radiolabeling reactions using fluorine-18

The increasing application of positron emission tomography (PET) in nuclear medicine has stimulated the extensive development of a multitude of novel and versatile bioorthogonal conjugation techniques especially for the radiolabeling of biologically active high molecular weight compounds like peptides, proteins or antibodies. Taking into consideration that the introduction of fluorine-18 (t(1/2) = 109.8 min) proceeds under harsh conditions, radiolabeling of these biologically active molecules represents an outstanding challenge and is of enormous interest. Special attention has to be paid to the method of 18F-introduction. It should proceed in a regioselective manner under mild physiological conditions, in an acceptable time span, with high yields and high specific activities. For these reasons and due to the high number of functional groups found in these compounds, a specific labeling procedure has to be developed for every bioactive macromolecule. Bioorthogonal strategies including the Cu-assisted Huisgen cycloaddition and its copper-free click variant, both Staudinger Ligations or the tetrazine-click reaction have been successfully applied and represent valuable alternatives for the selective introduction of fluorine-18 to overcome the afore mentioned obstacles. This comprehensive review deals with the progress and illustrates the latest developments in the field of bioorthogonal labeling with the focus on the preparation of radiofluorinated building blocks and tracers for molecular imaging.