Utility of 1,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-glucopyranoside for no-carrier-added18F-glycosylation of amino acids

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy: The Diverse Roles That Fluorine Can Play within Amino Acid Side Chains

Side chain-fluorinated amino acids are useful tools in medicinal chemistry and protein science. In this review, we outline some general strategies for incorporating fluorine atom(s) into amino acid side chains and for elaborating such building blocks into more complex fluorinated peptides and proteins. We then describe the diverse benefits that fluorine can offer when located within amino acid side chains, including enabling 19F NMR and 18F PET imaging applications, enhancing pharmacokinetic properties, controlling molecular conformation, and optimizing target-binding.

Sweetening Pharmaceutical Radiochemistry by 18F-Fluoroglycosylation: Recent Progress and Future Prospects

In the field of ¹⁸F-chemistry for the development of radiopharmaceuticals for positron emission tomography (PET), various labeling strategies by the use of prosthetic groups have been implemented, including chemoselective ¹⁸F-labeling of biomolecules. Among those, chemoselective ¹⁸F-fluoroglycosylation methods focus on the sweetening of pharmaceutical radiochemistry by offering a highly valuable tool for the synthesis of ¹⁸F-glycoconjugates with suitable in vivo properties for PET imaging studies. A previous review covered the various ¹⁸F-fluoroglycosylation methods that were developed and applied as of 2014 (Maschauer and Prante, BioMed. Res. Int. 2014, 214748). This paper is an updated review, providing the recent progress in ¹⁸F-fluoroglycosylation reactions and the preclinical application of ¹⁸F-glycoconjugates, including small molecules, peptides, and high-molecular-weight proteins.

Fluorinated carbohydrates as chemical probes for molecular recognition studies. Current status and perspectives

This review provides an extensive summary of the effects of carbohydrate fluorination with regard to changes in physical, chemical and biological properties with respect to regular saccharides. The specific structural, conformational, stability, reactivity and interaction features of fluorinated sugars are described, as well as their applications as probes and in chemical biology.

A reactivity-based [18F]FDG probe for in vivo formaldehyde imaging using positron emission tomography

We present an aza-Cope-based reactivity probe for imaging formaldehyde in vivo using positron emission tomography.

Formaldehyde (FA) is a reactive carbonyl species (RCS) that plays a broad spectrum of roles in epigenetics, toxicology, and progression of diseases ranging from cancer to diabetes to neurodegeneration, motivating the development of translatable technologies for FA imaging. Here we report formaldehyde-caged-[¹⁸F]fluorodeoxyglucose-1 ([¹⁸F]FAC-FDG-1), an aza-Cope-based reactivity probe for in vivo FA imaging using positron emission tomography (PET). [¹⁸F]FAC-FDG-1 reacts selectively with FA over potentially competing analytes to generate [¹⁸F]FDG, allowing its FA-dependent uptake and retention in cell culture as well as in animal models. The relative uptake of [¹⁸F]FAC-FDG-1 was evaluated using FA-treated PC3 prostate cancer and U87-MG glioblastoma cells demonstrating a dose-dependent response to exogenously added FA. Moreover, [¹⁸F]FAC-FDG-1 is capable of FA detection in vivo using a PC3 tumor xenograft model. In addition to providing a unique tool for monitoring FA in living animals, these data establish a general approach for translatable detection of FA and other reactive biological analytes in vivo by exploiting the widely-available clinical [¹⁸F]FDG tracer as a masked aldehyde that can be caged by analyte-responsive triggers.

Caged [(18)F]FDG Glycosylamines for Imaging Acidic Tumor Microenvironments Using Positron Emission Tomography

Solid tumors are hypoxic with altered metabolism, resulting in secretion of acids into the extracellular matrix and lower relative pH, a feature associated with local invasion and metastasis. Therapeutic and diagnostic agents responsive to this microenvironment may improve tumor-specific delivery. Therefore, we pursued a general strategy whereby caged small-molecule drugs or imaging agents liberate their parent compounds in regions of low interstitial pH. In this manuscript, we present a new acid-labile prodrug method based on the glycosylamine linkage, and its application to a class of positron emission tomography (PET) imaging tracers, termed [(18)F]FDG amines. [(18)F]FDG amines operate via a proposed two-step mechanism, in which an acid-labile precursor decomposes to form the common radiotracer 2-deoxy-2-[(18)F]fluoro-d-glucose, which is subsequently accumulated by glucose avid cells. The rate of decomposition of [(18)F]FDG amines is tunable in a systematic fashion, tracking the pKa of the parent amine. In vivo, a 4-phenylbenzylamine [(18)F]FDG amine congener showed greater relative accumulation in tumors over benign tissue, which could be attenuated upon tumor alkalinization using previously validated models, including sodium bicarbonate treatment, or overexpression of carbonic anhydrase. This new class of PET tracer represents a viable approach for imaging acidic interstitial pH with potential for clinical translation.

Novel synthesis and initial preclinical evaluation of (18)F-[FDG] labeled rhodamine: a potential PET myocardial perfusion imaging agent

Myocardial perfusion imaging is one of the most commonly performed investigations in nuclear medicine studies. Due to the clinical importance of [(18)F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose ([(18)F]-FDG) and its availability in almost every PET center, a new radiofluorinated [(18)F]-FDG-rhodamine conjugate was synthesized using [(18)F]-FDG as a prosthetic group. In a convenient and simple one-step radiosynthesis, [(18)F]-FDG-rhodamine conjugate was prepared in quantitative radiochemical yields, with total synthesis time of nearly 20 min and radiochemical purity of greater than 98%, without the need for HPLC purification, which make these approaches amenable for automation. Biodistribution studies in normal rats at 60 min post-injection demonstrated a high uptake in the heart (>11% ID/g) and favorable pharmacokinetics. Additionally, [(18)F]-FDG-rhodamine showed an extraction value of 27.63%±5.12% in rat hearts. These results demonstrate that [(18)F]-FDG-rhodamine conjugate may be useful as an imaging agent for the positron emission tomography evaluation of myocardial perfusion.

Sweetening pharmaceutical radiochemistry by (18)f-fluoroglycosylation: a short review

At the time when the highly efficient [(18)F]FDG synthesis was discovered by the use of the effective precursor 1,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-2-O-trifluoromethanesulfonyl- β -D-mannopyranose (mannose triflate) for nucleophilic (18)F-substitution, the field of PET in nuclear medicine experienced a long-term boom. Thirty years later, various strategies for chemoselective (18)F-labeling of biomolecules have been developed, trying to keep up with the emerging field of radiopharmaceutical sciences. Among the new radiochemical strategies, chemoselective (18)F-fluoroglycosylation methods aim at the sweetening of pharmaceutical radiochemistry by providing a powerful and highly valuable tool for the design of (18)F-glycoconjugates with suitable in vivo properties for PET imaging studies. This paper provides a short review (reflecting the literature not older than 8 years) on the different (18)F-fluoroglycosylation reactions that have been applied to the development of various (18)F-glycoconjugate tracers, including not only peptides, but also nonpeptidic tracers and high-molecular-weight proteins.

A series of 2-O-trifluoromethylsulfonyl-D-mannopyranosides as precursors for concomitant 18F-labeling and glycosylation by click chemistry

A series of 'clickable' mannopyranosides bearing a triflate leaving group at C-2 position were synthesized and tested for their potential as (18)F-labeling precursors. 3,4,6-Tri-O-acetyl-2-O-trifluoromethanesulfonyl-beta-D-mannopyranosyl azide (2beta) was the most convenient precursor for a site-specific and reliable click chemistry-based three-step, two-pot concomitant (18)F-labeling and glycosylation of an alkyne-functionalized amino acid derivative.

Synthesis and application of [18F]FDG-maleimidehexyloxime ([18F]FDG-MHO): a [18F]FDG-based prosthetic group for the chemoselective 18F-labeling of peptides and proteins

2-[(18)F]Fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose ([(18)F]FDG) as the most important PET radiotracer is available in almost every PET center. However, there are only very few examples using [(18)F]FDG as a building block for the synthesis of (18)F-labeled compounds. The present study describes the use of [(18)F]FDG as a building block for the synthesis of (18)F-labeled peptides and proteins. [(18)F]FDG was converted into [(18)F]FDG-maleimidehexyloxime ([(18)F]FDG-MHO), a novel [(18)F]FDG-based prosthetic group for the mild and thiol group-specific (18)F labeling of peptides and proteins. The reaction was performed at 100 degrees C for 15 min in a sealed vial containing [(18)F]FDG and N-(6-aminoxy-hexyl)maleimide in 80% ethanol. [(18)F]FDG-MHO was obtained in 45-69% radiochemical yield (based upon [(18)F]FDG) after HPLC purification in a total synthesis time of 45 min. Chemoselecetive conjugation of [(18)F]FDG-MHO to thiol groups was investigated by the reaction with the tripeptide glutathione (GSH) and the single cysteine containing protein annexin A5 (anxA5). Radiolabeled annexin A5 ([(18)F]FDG-MHO-anxA5) was obtained in 43-58% radiochemical yield (based upon [(18)F]FDG-MHO, n = 6), and [(18)F]FDG-MHO-anxA5 was used for a pilot small animal PET study to assess in vivo biodistribution and kinetics in a HT-29 murine xenograft model.

3,4,6-Tri-O-acetyl-2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoroglucopyranosyl phenylthiosulfonate: a thiol-reactive agent for the chemoselective 18F-glycosylation of peptides

3,4,5-Tri-O-acetyl-2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucopyranosyl 1-phenylthiosulfonate (Ac3-[18F]FGlc-PTS) was developed as a thiol-reactive labeling reagent for the site-specific 18F-glycosylation of peptides. Taking advantage of highly accessible 1,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoroglucopyranose, a three-step radiochemical pathway was investigated and optimized, providing Ac3-[18F]FGlc-PTS in a radiochemical yield of about 33% in 90 min (decay-corrected and based on starting [18F]fluoride). Ac3-[18F]FGlc-PTS was reacted with the model pentapeptide CAKAY, confirming chemoselectivity and excellent conjugation yields of >90% under mild reaction conditions. The optimized method was adopted to the 18F-glycosylation of the alphavbeta3-affine peptide c(RGDfC), achieving high conjugation yields (95%, decay-corrected). The alphavbeta3 binding affinity of the glycosylated c(RGDfC) remained uninfluenced as determined by competition binding studies versus 125I-echistatin using both isolated alphavbeta3 and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (Ki = 68 +/- 10 nM (alphavbeta3) versus Ki = 77 +/- 4 nM (HUVEC)). The whole radiosynthetic procedure, including the preparation of the 18F-glycosylating reagent Ac3-[18F]FGlc-PTS, peptide ligation, and final HPLC purification, provided a decay-uncorrected radiochemical yield of 13% after a total synthesis time of 130 min. Ac3-[18F]FGlc-PTS represents a novel 18F-labeling reagent for the mild chemoselective 18F-glycosylation of peptides indicating its potential for the design and development of 18F-labeled bioactive S-glycopeptides suitable to study their pharmacokinetics in vivo by positron emission tomography (PET).

Fluorine-18 labeling of peptides and proteins

The pool of promising peptides worthy of investigation and evaluation for clinical use is continuously filled from different sources. Driven by the promising results obtained with peptides addressing somatostatin-2 receptor positive (sst2+) neuroendocrine tumours, other peptides targeting further receptor systems are being studied and evaluated. Progress in profiling the density and incidence of peptide hormone receptors in human cancer has initiated and will further promote research on the corresponding peptidic binders. In addition, industrial pharmaceutical research will be another significant source of peptides in the future. A recent prognosis revealed that about 50% of the drugs entering clinical trials in the next years will be peptides. The extensive research activities in genomics and proteomics will point out and quantify new and already known target structures upregulated in specific diseases. Based on the knowledge of their endogenous ligands or via selection of suitable candidates by phage display, suitable peptide ligands for e.g. membrane associated receptors can be identified and thus allow targeting of such binding sites. Thus, bioactive peptides specifically addressing relevant molecular targets are expected to become an important class of tracers, also due to the possibility of bridging imaging with therapeutic approaches. In this brief overview a summary of methods and strategies for the 18F-labeling of peptides and proteins is given.

Fluorine-18 labeling methods: Features and possibilities of basic reactions

Many experimental and established tracers make fluorine- 18 the most widely used radionuclide in positron emission tomography with an increasing demand for new or simpler 18F-labeling procedures. After a brief summary of the advantages of the nuclide and its major production routes, the basic features of the principal radiofluorination methods are described. These comprise direct electrophilic and nucleophilic processes, or in case of more complex molecules, the labeling of synthons and prosthetic groups for indirect built-up syntheses. While addressing the progress of no-carrier-added 18F-labeling procedures, the following chapters on more specific topics in this book are introduced. Emphasis is given to radiofluorination of arenes--especially with iodonium leaving groups. Examples of radiopharmaceutical syntheses are mentioned in order to illustrate strategic concepts of labeling with fluorine-18.