Preparation and biological evaluation of an astatine-211 labeled biotin conjugate: biotinyl-3-[211 At]astatoanilide

Stability and in vivo behavior of Rh[16aneS4-diol]211 at complex: a potential precursor for astatine radiopharmaceuticals

INTRODUCTION

The heavy halogen (211)At is of great interest for targeted radiotherapy because it decays by the emission of short-range, high-energy α-particles. However, many astatine compounds that have been synthesized are unstable in vivo, providing motivation for seeking other (211)At labeling strategies. One relatively unexplored approach is to utilize prosthetic groups based on astatinated rhodium (III) complex stabilized with a tetrathioether macrocyclic ligand - Rh[16aneS(4)-diol](211)At. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo stability of this complex in comparison to its iodine analog - Rh[16aneS(4)-diol](131)I.

METHODS

Rh[16aneS(4)-diol](211)At and Rh[16aneS(4)-diol](131)I complexes were synthesized and purified by HPLC. The stability of both complexes was evaluated in vitro by incubation in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and human serum at different temperatures. The in vivo behavior of the two radiohalogenated complexes was assessed by a paired-label biodistribution study in normal Balb/c mice.

RESULTS

Both complexes were synthesized in high yield and purity. Almost no degradation was observed for Rh[16aneS(4)-diol](131)I in PBS over a 72 h incubation. The astatinated analog exhibited good stability in PBS over 14 h. A slow decline in the percentage of intact complex was observed for both tracers in human serum. In the biodistribution study, retention of (211)At in most tissues was higher than that of (131)I at all time points, especially in spleen and lungs. Renal clearance of Rh[16aneS(4)-diol](211)At and Rh[16aneS(4)-diol](131)I predominated, with 84.1 ± 2.3% and 94.6 ± 0.9% of injected dose excreted via the urine at 4 h.

CONCLUSIONS

The Rh[16aneS(4)-diol](211)At complex might be useful for constructing prosthetic groups for the astatination of biomolecules and further studies are planned to evaluate this possibility.

Production of [(211)At]-astatinated radiopharmaceuticals and applications in targeted α-particle therapy

(211)At is a promising radionuclide for α-particle therapy of cancers. Its physical characteristics make this radionuclide particularly interesting to consider when bound to cancer-targeting biomolecules for the treatment of microscopic tumors. (211)At is produced by cyclotron irradiation of (209)Bi with α-particles accelerated at ~28 MeV and can be obtained in high radionuclidic purity after isolation from the target. Its chemistry resembles iodine, but there is also a tendency to behave as a metalloid. However, the chemical behavior of astatine has not yet been clearly established, primarily due to the lack of any stable isotopes of this element, which precludes the use of conventional analytical techniques for its characterization. There are also only a limited number of research centers that have been able to produce this element in sufficient amounts to carry out extensive investigations. Despite these difficulties, chemical reactions typically used with iodine can be performed, and a number of biomolecules of interest have been labeled with (211)At. However, most of these compounds exhibit unacceptable instability in vivo due to the weakness of the astatine-biomolecule bond. Nonetheless, several compounds have shown high potential for the treatment of cancers in vitro and in several animal models, thus providing a promising basis that has allowed initiation of the first two clinical studies.

Synthesis, purification, and in vitro stability of 211At- and 125I-labeled amidobisphosphonates

A method is described for preparing 211At- and radioiodinated amidobisphosphonates. The active esters N-succinimidyl 3-(tri-methylstannyl) benzoate (ATE) and N-succinimidyl 5-(tri-methylstannyl)-3-pyridinecarboxylate (SPC) were used as precursors. The isolated and purified radiolabeled intermediates were coupled to 3-amino-1-hydroxypropylidene-1,1-bisphosphonate (APB) in high yields ranging from 60% to 97%. The lipophilicity of the compounds was found to depend on the nature of the labeled template and the halogen. High in vitro stability in mouse, fetal calf, and human serum was documented by high performance liquid chromatography.

Astatine-211-labeled biotin conjugates resistant to biotinidase for use in pretargeted radioimmunotherapy

We report herein the preparation and biological evaluation of two radioastatinated biotin conjugates, (3-[211At]astatobenzoyl)norbiotinamide and ((5-[211At]astato-3-pyridinyl)carbonyl)norbiotinamide. Both conjugates were stable in the presence of human serum and cerebrospinal fluid as well as murine serum, indicating a resistance to degradation to biotinidase. The normal tissue clearance of (3-[211At]astatobenzoyl)norbiotinamide and ((5-[211At]astato-3-pyridinyl)carbonyl)norbiotinamide was rapid, as observed previously with their iodo analogues. Also reported are the first syntheses of N-succinimidyl 5-[211At]astato-3-pyridinecarboxylate and 3-[211At]astatoaniline, two reagents of potential utility for labeling proteins and peptides with 211At.