Radiosynthesis and preclinical evaluation of a 68Ga-labeled tetrahydroisoquinoline-based ligand for PET imaging of C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 in an animal model of glioblastoma

Abstract

Background This study aimed to develop a novel positron emission tomography (PET) tracer, [68Ga]Ga-TD-01, for CXCR4 imaging. To achieve this goal, the molecular scaffold of TIQ15 was tuned by conjugation with the DOTA chelator to make it suitable for 68Ga radiolabeling. Methods A bifunctional chelator was prepared by conjugating the amine group of TIQ15 with p-NCS-Bz-DOTA, yielding TD-01, with a high yield (68.92%). TD-01 was then radiolabeled with 68Ga using 0.1 M ammonium acetate at 60 °C for 10 min. A 1-h dynamic small animal PET/MRI study of the labeled compound in GL261-luc2 tumor-bearing mice was performed, and brain tumor uptake was assessed. Blocking studies involved pre-administration of TIQ15 (10 mg/kg) 10 min before the PET procedure started. Results [68Ga]Ga-TD-01 exhibited a radiochemical yield (RCY) of 36.33 ± 1.50% (EOS), with a radiochemical purity > 99% and a molar activity of 55.79 ± 1.96 GBq/µmol (EOS). The radiotracer showed in vitro stability in PBS and human plasma for over 4 h. Biodistribution studies in healthy animals revealed favorable kinetics for subsequent PET pharmacokinetic modeling with low uptake in the brain and moderate uptake in lungs, intestines and spleen. Elimination could be assigned to a renal-hepatic pathway as showed by high uptake in kidneys, liver, and urinary bladder. Importantly, [68Ga]Ga-TD-01 uptake in glioblastoma (GBM)-bearing mice significantly decreased upon competition with TIQ15, with a baseline tumor-to-background ratios > 2.5 (20 min p.i.), indicating high specificity. Conclusion The newly developed CXCR4 PET tracer, [68Ga]Ga-TD-01, exhibited a high binding inhibition for CXCR4, excellent in vitro stability, and favorable pharmacokinetics, suggesting that the compound is a promising candidate for full in vivo characterization of CXCR4 expression in GBM, with potential for further development as a tool in cancer diagnosis.