Abstract18 F-Labeled small synthetic peptides have emerged as attractive probes for imaging various molecular targets with PET. The α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) receptor (melanocortin type 1 receptor [MC1R]) is overexpressed in most murine and human melanomas. It is a promising molecular target for diagnosis and therapy of melanomas. However, 18 F compounds have not been successfully developed for imaging the MC1R.Methods-In this study, an α-MSH analog, Ac-Nle-Asp-His-D-Phe-Arg-Trp-Gly-Lys-NH 2 (NAPamide), was radiolabeled with N-succinimidyl-4-18 F-fluorobenzoate ( 18 F-SFB). The resulting radiopeptide was evaluated as a potential molecular probe for small-animal PET of melanoma and MC1R expression in melanoma xenografted mouse models.Results-The binding affinity of 19 F-SFB-conjugated NAPamide, 19 F-FB-NAPamide, was determined to be 7.2 ± 1.2 nM (mean ± SD) using B16/F10 cells and 125 I-(Tyr 2 )-[Nle 4 ,D-Phe 7 ]-α-MSH [ 125 I-(Tyr 2 )-NDP] as a radio-ligand. The biodistribution of 18 F-FB-NAPamide was then investigated in C57BL/6 mice bearing subcutaneous murine B16/F10 melanoma tumors with high expression of MC1Rs and Fox Chase Scid mice bearing human A375M melanoma with a relatively low number of MC1R receptors. Biodistribution experiments showed that tumor uptake values (percentage injected dose per gram of tumor [%ID/g]) of 18 F-FB-NAPamide were 1.19 ± 0.11 %ID/g and 0.46 ± 0.11 %ID/g, in B16/F10 and A375M xenografted melanoma at 1 h after injection, respectively. Furthermore, the B16/F10 tumor uptake was significantly inhibited by coinjection with excess α-MSH peptide (P < 0.05), indicating that 18 F-FB-NAPamide specifically recognizes the MC1R in living mice. Small-animal PET of 18 F-FB-NAPamide in mice bearing COPYRIGHT © 2007
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NIH-PA Author ManuscriptB16/F10 and A375M tumors at 1 h after tail vein injection revealed good B16/F10 tumor-tobackground contrast and low A375M tumor-to-background ratios.Conclusion-18 F-FB-NAPamide is a promising molecular probe for α-MSH receptor-positive melanoma PET and warrants further study.
Keywordsmelanoma; α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone; PET; imaging; 18 F Cutaneous malignant melanoma is one of the most lethal cancers. Its incidence is increasing rapidly, making it a significant public health problem in Europe and the United States (1,2). Although extensive research has been performed to develop novel strategies for systemic treatment of malignant melanoma, effective therapies are still not available. The most important approach for improvement of survival of patients with melanoma still remains early diagnosis, along with accurate staging of the extent of disease (3,4).Many molecular imaging agents have been evaluated for detection of melanoma.Currently, 18 F-FDG is widely used in staging melanoma. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 18 F-FDG PET for detecting recurrent melanoma range from 70% to 100% (3). However, when imaging patients with early-stage melanoma, whole-body 18 F-FDG PET shows ...