Synthesis and preliminary radiopharmacological characterisation of an 11 C-labelled azadipeptide nitrile as potential PET tracer for imaging of cysteine cathepsins

An O-methyltyrosine-containing azadipeptide nitrile was synthesised and investigated for its inhibitory activity towards cathepsins L, S, K, and B. Labelling with carbon-11 was accomplished by reaction of the corresponding phenolic precursor with [¹¹ C]methyl iodide starting from cyclotron-produced [¹¹ C]methane. Radiopharmacological evaluation of the resulting radiotracer in a mouse xenograft model derived from a mammary tumour cell line by small animal PET imaging indicates tumour targeting with complex pharmacokinetics. Radiotracer uptake in the tumour region was considerably lower under treatment with the nonradioactive reference compound and the epoxide-based irreversible cysteine cathepsin inhibitor E64. The in vivo behaviour observed for this radiotracer largely confirms that of the corresponding ¹⁸ F-fluoroethylated analogue and suggests the limited suitability of azadipeptide nitriles for the imaging of tumour-associated cysteine cathepsins despite target-mediated uptake is evidenced.

Synthesis and growth-inhibitory activities of imidazo[5,1-d]-1,2,3,5-tetrazine-8-carboxamides related to the anti-tumour drug temozolomide, with appended silicon, benzyl and heteromethyl groups at the 3-position

A series of 3-(benzyl-substituted)-imidazo[5,1-d]-1,2,3,5-tetrazines (13) and related derivatives with 3-heteromethyl groups has been synthesised and screened for growth-inhibitory activity in vitro against two pairs of glioma cell lines with temozolomide-sensitive and -resistant phenotypes dependent on the absence/presence of the DNA repair protein O⁶-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT). In general the compounds had low inhibitory activity with GI₅₀ values >50 μM against both sets of cell lines. Two silicon-containing derivatives, the TMS-methylimidazotetrazine (9) and the SEM-analogue (10), showed interesting differences: compound (9) had a profile very similar to that of temozolomide with the MGMT+ cell lines being 5 to 10-fold more resistant than MGMT- isogenic partners; the SEM-substituted compound (10) showed potency across all cell lines irrespective of their MGMT status.

Potential Therapeutic Applications of Adenosine A2A Receptor Ligands and Opportunities for A2A Receptor Imaging

Adenosine A_2A receptors (A_2A Rs) are highly expressed in the human striatum, and at lower densities in the cerebral cortex, the hippocampus, and cells of the immune system. Antagonists of these receptors are potentially useful for the treatment of motor fluctuations, epilepsy, postischemic brain damage, or cognitive impairment, and for the control of an immune checkpoint during immunotherapy of cancer. A_2A R agonists may suppress transplant rejection and graft-versus-host disease; be used to treat inflammatory disorders such as asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, and rheumatoid arthritis; be locally applied to promote wound healing and be employed in a strategy for transient opening of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) so that therapeutic drugs and monoclonal antibodies can enter the brain. Increasing A_2A R signaling in adipose tissue is also a potential strategy to combat obesity. Several radioligands for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of A_2A Rs have been developed in recent years. This review article presents a critical overview of the potential therapeutic applications of A_2A R ligands, the use of A_2A R imaging in drug development, and opportunities and limitations of PET imaging in future research.

Antitumor imidazo[5,1-d]-1,2,3,5-tetrazines: compounds modified at the 3-position overcome resistance in human glioblastoma cell lines

Imidazotetrazines substituted at the N-3 position overcome resistance or tolerance to temozolomide conferred, respectively, by MGMT or DNA MMR defects.