Mechanism of 67Ga uptake by an experimental abscess--permeability of plasma from blood vessels in abscessed tissue

In the previous paper, we reported that 67Ga was accumulated in abscess and uptake rate of 67Ga in abscess increased with time after the injection of 67Ga-citrate. The present study was undertaken to elucidate the influence of blood flow on the accumulation of 67Ga in abscess. Five days after subcutaneous injection of 0.2 ml of turpentine to the rats, 131I-human serum albumin (HSA) was injected intravenously to the rats. At an appropriate time after the injection (10 min to 6 days), uptake rates of 131I-HSA in abscess and normal tissues were measured. Similarly, 51Cr-red blood cells (RBC) were injected intravenously to the above rats and the uptake rates of 51Cr-RBC were also measured. One, three, and 24 hours after injection of 131I-HSA, the uptake rates of 131I-HSA in abscess were 1.32 %dose/g, 1.84 %dose/g, and 0.82 %dose/g, respectively. However, the uptake rates of 51Cr-RBC in abscess was very small, and the value was 0.14 %dose/g at 24 hours after the injection. In the case of abscess, blood in the tissue fluid was very little, but the permeability of 131I-HSA from the blood vessel in the tissue was much larger than that of normal tissues. From these facts, it was deduced that the accelerated permeability caused the abscess accumulation of 67Ga.     

Study on suppressed uptake by the liver in 67Ga scintigraphy

During the past 3 years, we have performed 1525 studies of 67Ga scintigraphy and 38 cases of these showed suppressed liver uptake; 19 cases after chemotherapy, 13 cases with liver dysfunction and 6 cases with competitive blockade. Many cases in chemotherapy used cyclophosphamide and vincristine, and were performed 67Ga scan within 1 week after chemotherapy. In cases showed suppressed uptake by liver after chemotherapy, serum Fe was markedly increased and UIBC was markedly decreased (p less than 0.01). This suggested that serum Fe influenced suppressed uptake by liver more than carrier-protein, disturbed hepatic cells, and receptors.     

Uptake of 67Ga into the rat liver after treatment with thioacetamide

67Ga uptake of the liver began to elevate from the 1st day and reached a maximum at the 2nd day of treatment with thioacetamide (TIAA). Incorporation of 3H-thymidine into the liver DNA fraction was reached a maximum at the 1.5th day, and the value was 5.7 times of the control. The uronic acid content and 35S incorporation in the 1.2 M NaCl-soluble fraction which contained predominantly heparan sulfate (HS), were both peaked at the 2nd day. These patterns were in good agreement with that of 67Ga uptakes in the liver treated with TIAA. Pretreatment of aminoacetonitrile, an inhibitor of fibrosis, was effective in lowering the elevated uptake of 67Ga in TIAA-treated rat liver. Uptake of the 67Ga in the TIAA-treated liver was also inhibited when they were treated with cycloheximide, an inhibitor of protein synthesis. On the other hand no significant inhibition was observed in the cytosine arabinoside-treated-TIAA rats. These results suggest that HS may be involved in the 67Ga uptake in damaged liver, and that relation between 67Ga uptake and cell proliferation is secondary.     

Preparation and biological evaluation of radiogallium labeled glucagon for SPECT imaging

In this work, recently prepared ⁶⁷Ga-labeled glucagon (⁶⁷Ga-DTPA-GCG) for imaging studies (radiochemical purity >94%; HPLC, S.A. 296–370 GBq/mM) was used in biological studies. The wild-type rat biodistribution results, 2 h post injection, demonstrated high tissue:muscle ratios for target tissues (liver, kidney, heart, spleen, fat intestine stomach and pancreas), 234, 18.45, 7.12, 1.75, 128.7, 4.9, 6.3 and 1.11, respectively. The tracer binding capacity using freshly prepared rat brain homogenate demonstrated significant specific binding of the tracer to neuronal GCG receptors (⁶⁷Ga-DTPA-GCG/⁶⁷Ga:3 and ⁶⁷Ga-DTPA-GCG/⁶⁷GaDTPA:2.2 at 90 min). SPECT images also demonstrated target specific binding of the tracer at 4 h. The data suggests the tracer is accumulated in GCGR rich tissues 2–4 h post injection, suggesting potentials of the tracer for future imaging studies in glocagonoma models.     

Relation between 67Ga uptake and the stage of inflammation induced by turpentine oil in rats

For the establishment of the experimental system to judge easily the effect of anti-inflammatory drug, 67Ga-citrate was used. The weight of granuloma tissues induced by inflammable agent, turpentine oil, gradually increased and reached a maximum at 6 days after the administration of turpentine oil. Gallium-67 accumulation in the inflammatory lesions showed also a maximum at 6 days after that. Both patterns were closely similar each other. These results showed that the processes and/or stages of inflammation could be indicated by the pattern of 67Ga uptake.     

Study of 67Ga distribution in neoplasms and in liver by a cell fractionation method]

Subcellular distribution of 67Ga was quantitatively determined to evaluate the role of lysosome in accumulation of 67Ga in malignant tumor tissue and liver. The following animals and transplanted tumors were used: rats implanted with Yoshida sarcoma and hepatoma AH109A; mice implanted with Ehrlich tumor. 67Ga-citrate were injected to the rats intravenously and to the mice intraperitoneally. Ten minutes to 48 hours after the administration of 67Ga-citrate, the animal were sacrificed, and the tumor tissues and liver were excised. Subcellular fractionation of tumor tissues and livers were carried out according to the method of Hogeboom and Schneider. Radioactivity of each fraction was counted by a well type scintillation counter, and protein of each fraction was measured according to Lowry's method. In Yoshida sarcoma and Ehrlich tumor, most of the radioactivity was localized in the supernatant fraction, and small amount of radioactivity was localized in the mitochodrial fraction (lysosome contains in this fraction). But in the liver, most of the radioactivity was concentrated in the mitochondrial fraction and the radioactivity of this fraction was increased with the passage of time after administration. Twenty-four hours later, about 50% of total radioactivity was accumulated in this fraction. In the case of hepatoma AH109A, radioactivity of mitochondrial fraction was increased with the passage of time after administration, and about 30% of total activity was concentrated in this fraction at 24 hours after administration. From these results it is concluded that lysosome doses not play an important role in the tumor concentration of 67Ga and lysosome plays an important role in the liver concentration of 67Ga. In the case of hepatoma AH109A it is presumed that lysosome plays considerably important role in the tumor concentration of 67Ga, hepatoma AH109A having some nature of liver.     

Development of Radiogallium-Labeled Peptides for Platelet-Derived Growth Factor Receptor β (PDGFRβ) Imaging: Influence of Different Linkers

The purpose of this study is to develop peptide-based platelet-derived growth factor receptor β (PDGFRβ) imaging probes and examine the effects of several linkers, namely un-natural amino acids (D-alanine and β-alanine) and ethylene-glycol (EG), on the properties of Ga-DOTA-(linker)-IPLPPPRRPFFK peptides. Seven radiotracers, ⁶⁷Ga-DOTA-(linker)-IPLPPPRRPFFK peptides, were designed, synthesized, and evaluated. The stability and cell uptake in PDGFRβ positive peptide cells were evaluated in vitro. The biodistribution of [⁶⁷Ga]Ga-DOTA-EG₂-IPLPPPRRPFFK ([⁶⁷Ga]27) and [⁶⁷Ga]Ga-DOTA-EG₄-IPLPPPRRPFFK ([⁶⁷Ga]28), which were selected based on in vitro stability in murine plasma and cell uptake rates, were determined in BxPC3-luc-bearing nu/nu mice. Seven ⁶⁷Ga-labeled peptides were successfully synthesized with high radiochemical yields (>85%) and purities (>99%). All evaluated radiotracers were stable in PBS (pH 7.4) at 37 °C. However, only [⁶⁷Ga]27 and [⁶⁷Ga]28 remained more than 75% after incubation in murine plasma at 37 °C for 1 h. [⁶⁷Ga]27 exhibited the highest BxPC3-luc cell uptake among the prepared radiolabeled peptides. As regards the results of the biodistribution experiments, the tumor-to-blood ratios of [⁶⁷Ga]27 and [⁶⁷Ga]28 at 1 h post-injection were 2.61 ± 0.75 and 2.05 ± 0.77, respectively. Co-injection of [⁶⁷Ga]27 and an excess amount of IPLPPPRRPFFK peptide as a blocking agent can significantly decrease this ratio. However, tumor accumulation was not considered sufficient. Therefore, further probe modification is required to assess tumor accumulation for in vivo imaging.     

Preparation and biological evaluation of radiolabeled-folate embedded superparamagnetic nanoparticles in wild-type rats

In this study, superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) embedded by folic acid (SPION-folate) were prepared by a modified co-precipitation method. The structure, size, morphology, magnetic property and relaxivity of the SPION-folate were characterized systematically by means of XRD, VSM, HRSEM and TEM and the interaction between folate and iron oxide (Fe₃O₄) was characterized by FT-IR. The particle size was shown to be ≈5–10 nm. To ensure biocompatibility, the interaction of these SPION with mouse connective tissue cells (adhesive) was investigated using an MTT assay. Consequently, gallium-67 labeled nanoparticles ([⁶⁷Ga]-SPION-folate) were prepared using ⁶⁷Ga with a high labeling efficiency (over 96%, RTLC method) and they also showed an excellent stability at room temperature for at least 2 days and were evaluated for their biodistribution in normal rats up to 24 h compared with free Ga³⁺ cation and [⁶⁷Ga]-SPION biodistribution. The biodistribution of the tracer among 3 other folate tracers were compared, showing lower liver uptake and higher blood circulation after 24 h leading to better bioavailability. The bone:muscle, kidney:muscle, lung:muscle, stomach:muscle ratios were 9.3, 9.32, 7.6 and 5.83 respectively. The developed folate-containing nano-system can be an interesting folate receptor tracer, capable of better cell membrane permeability while possessing paramagnetic properties for thermotherapy.     

Effect of gallium nitrate on the in vivo distribution of 67Ga in rats bearing inflammatory lesions

Effect of gallium nitrate on the pharmacokinetics and tissue accumulation of 67Ga was investigated in rats bearing turpentine oil-induced abscess. Gallium nitrate accelerated the blood disappearance of 67Ga, but this effect was less potent than that of ferric nitrate. The accumulation of 67Ga in liver was significantly lowered by gallium nitrate, but no significant decrease of 67Ga accumulation in abscess was observed. On the other hand, 67Ga accumulation in bone was slightly facilitated by gallium nitrate. Ferric nitrate exerted a similar effect on tissue accumulation of 67Ga as gallium nitrate.     

Biodistribution of tritiated benzoporphyrin derivative (3H-BPD-MA), a new potent photosensitizer, in normal and tumor-bearing mice

The biodistribution of a new and very potent photosensitizer, benzoporphyrin derivative-monoacid, ring A (BPD-MA), was determined in normal and P815 (mastocytoma) or M1 (rhabdomyosarcoma) tumor-bearing DBA/2J mice. A dose of 80 micrograms of 3H-BPD-MA was determined at 3, 24, 48, 72, 96 and 168 h post injection. The following tissues were tested: blood, brain, heart, intestine, kidney, lung, liver, muscle, skin, stomach, spleen, thymus and tumor. The biodistribution of 3H-BPD-MA in normal and tumor-bearing mice was comparable overall. 3H-BPD-MA localized in tumors better than in other tissues except kidney, liver and spleen. The tumor to tissue ratios were in the range 1.5-3 at 24 h post injection and increased further during the next 72 h. The highest levels of 3H-BPD-MA were observed in all tissues at 3 h post injection and decreased rapidly during the first 24 h. After 24 h the clearance from tissues was rather slow. The preliminary clearance data obtained in a group of five normal mice indicated that the majority of the injected dose (60%) cleared from the body via the bile and feces, while only about 4% cleared via kidneys and urine. Studies in which 3H-BPD-MA was extracted from tumor, kidney and liver 3 and 24 h after injection showed that, at 3 h, all the photosensitizing activity in tumor was retained. At 24 h only 39% of the activity was retained and considerably less active material was present in liver and kidney.     

Preparation and preliminary evaluation of [<Superscript>67</Superscript>Ga]-tetra phenyl porphyrin complexes as possible imaging agents

[⁶⁷Ga]labeled tetraphenyl porphyrin ([⁶⁷Ga]-TPP) was prepared using freshly prepared [⁶⁷Ga]GaCl₃ and tetraphenyl porphyrin (TPPH₂) for 30–60 min at 25 °C (radiochemical purity: >97 ± 1% ITLC, >98 ± 0.5% HPLC, specific activity: 13–14 GBq/mmol). Stability of the complex was checked in final formulation and human serum for 24 h. The partition coefficient was calculated for the compound (log P 1.89). The biodistribution of the labeled compound in vital organs of wild-type rats was studied using scarification studies and SPECT imaging up to 24 h. A detailed comparative pharmacokinetic study performed for ⁶⁷Ga cation and [⁶⁷Ga]-TPP. The complex is mostly washed out from the circulation through kidneys and can be an interesting tumor imaging/targeting agent due to low liver uptake and rapid excretion through the urinary tract.     

Preliminary Study of a 1,5-Benzodiazepine-Derivative Labelled with Indium-111 for CCK-2 Receptor Targeting

The cholecystokinin-2 receptor (CCK-2R) is overexpressed in several human cancers but displays limited expression in normal tissues. For this reason, it is a suitable target for developing specific radiotracers. In this study, a nastorazepide-based ligand functionalized with a 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA) chelator (IP-001) was synthesized and labelled with indium-111. The radiolabeling process yielded >95% with a molar activity of 10 MBq/nmol and a radiochemical purity of >98%. Stability studies have shown a remarkable resistance to degradation (>93%) within 120 h of incubation in human blood. The in vitro uptake of [¹¹¹In]In-IP-001 was assessed for up to 24 h on a high CCK-2R-expressing tumor cell line (A549) showing maximal accumulation after 4 h of incubation. Biodistribution and single photon emission tomography (SPECT)/CT imaging were evaluated on BALB/c nude mice bearing A549 xenograft tumors. Implanted tumors could be clearly visualized after only 4 h post injection (2.36 ± 0.26% ID/cc), although a high amount of radiotracer was also found in the liver, kidneys, and spleen (8.25 ± 2.21%, 6.99 ± 0.97%, and 3.88 ± 0.36% ID/cc, respectively). Clearance was slow by both hepatobiliary and renal excretion. Tumor retention persisted for up to 24 h, with the tumor to organs ratio increasing over-time and ending with a tumor uptake (1.52 ± 0.71% ID/cc) comparable to liver and kidneys.     

Investigation of radiopharmaceuticals for pancreatic imaging: accumulation of amines in the pancreas.

To develop radiopharmaceuticals for pancreatic imaging, radioiodinated ethyl benzene derivatives containing various functional groups (amino, carboxyl, and methyl groups) were synthesized and the effects of these functional groups were compared in vitro and in vivo. At 2 min after intravenous injection, the amino derivative, 2-(4-iodophenyl)-N,N-dimethyl ethylamine, displayed about twice the pancreatic uptake and a more than 8-fold higher pancreas/liver ratio than the carboxyl and methyl derivatives. This high and selective in vivo accumulation on the amino derivative in the pancreas was well supported by in vitro studies on the uptake by pancreatic tissue slices. The mechanism promoting pancreatic accumulation of radiopharmaceuticals with an amino group is also discussed.     

叶酸高分子纳米胶束在小鼠体内的靶向分布

合成了带有叶酸靶向和荧光染料的聚合物FA-PEG-PLA和mPEG-b-P（LA-co-MHC／NIR）,通过混合胶束的方法制备近红外染料胶束P（NIR）（含染料NIR6％）,叶酸胶束FA-P（NIR）1（含染料NIR5．4％,叶酸LFA0．5％）和叶酸胶束FA-P（NIR）2（含染料NIR4．8％,叶酸FA0．9％）;建立了H22肝癌小鼠模型,考察了高分子纳米胶束及叶酸靶向纳米胶束在H22肝癌小鼠体内分布．结果表明,高分子纳米胶束及叶酸靶向纳米胶束在小鼠体内分布都具有时间相关性,无叶酸配体的高分子纳米胶束在尾静脉注射24h后在肿瘤部位有少量聚集,大部分胶束在肝部聚集,30h内大部分已被排泄系统排出体外;含有叶酸配体的纳米胶束在尾静脉注射后6-30h内在肿瘤部位有明显的聚集,其中,FA-P（NIR）1胶束在肿瘤和肝部位的聚集相当,FA-P（NIR）2胶束在静脉注射24h后在肿瘤聚集明显高于肝部．带有叶酸配体的高分子纳米胶束相对于不带叶酸配体的纳米胶束在小鼠肿瘤部位具有明显的聚集,并且随着叶酸含量的增大,聚集效果更明显．     

Effect of delivery system on the pharmacokinetic and phototherapeutic properties of bis(methyloxyethyleneoxy)silicon-phthalocyanine in tumor-bearing mice

A Si(IV)-phthalocyanine bearing two methoxyethyleneglycol axial ligands bound to the central metal ion (SiPc) has been prepared by chemical synthesis and analyzed for its phototherapeutic activity after administration in a Cremophor or liposome formulation to C57B1/6 mice bearing a subcutaneously transplanted Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC). The maximum drug accumulation in the tumor is found at 24 h after intraperitoneal injection, independent of the delivery system. However, the tumor concentration of SiPc in the Cremophor formulation is about two-fold higher, while the drug concentration in liver and skin shows similar trends with the two delivery systems. The drug accumulation and retention in the brain is much larger when using Cremophor emulsion. Photodynamic therapy (672 nm, 370 mW m⁻², 360 J cm⁻²) at 24 h after the injection of Cremophor emulsion- or DPPC liposome-formulated SiPc causes a very efficient and similar response for the LLC (8 versus 22 mm mean tumor diameter for the control groups at 21 days after phototreatment). These very promising effects, obtained both at higher and lower tumor drug concentrations, clearly demonstrate the potential phototherapeutical activity of the newly synthesized SiPc.     

Comparative pharmacokinetics of 67Ga among the different routes of injection

The pharmacokinetic study of 67Ga-citrate (67Ga) following intravenous (i.v.), subcutaneous (s.c.) and intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection was performed in anesthetized rats using the repeated blood sampling method by cannulation technique into the external jugular vein. The disappearance of 67Ga from the blood following i.v. and s.c. injection was best fit a three-exponential equation. There was no significant difference between the areas under the curves following i.v. and s.c. injection of 67Ga. In the case of i.p. injection, the disappearance of 67Ga from the blood was described by a two-exponential equation. However, the maximum blood radioactivity was very low, and the disappearance rate of 67Ga from the blood was extremely slow compared to the other routes of injection. The conclusion from these results was that s.c. injection was as suitable as i.v. injection, but i.p. injection was not appropriate for the distribution study of 67Ga such as scintigraphy or autoradiography. However, i.p. route may be available for a special experiment which needs the long-time retention of 67Ga in the blood.     

Acyclic chelate with ideal properties for (68)Ga PET imaging agent elaboration

We have investigated novel bifunctional chelate alternatives to the aminocarboxylate macrocycles NOTA (N(3)O(3)) or DOTA (N(4)O(4)) for application of radioisotopes of Ga to diagnostic nuclear medicine and have found that the linear N(4)O(2) chelate H(2)dedpa coordinates (67)Ga quantitatively to form [(67)Ga(dedpa)](+) after 10 min at RT. Concentration-dependent coordination to H(2)dedpa of either (68)Ga or (67)Ga showed quantitative conversion to the desired products with ligand concentrations as low as 10(-7) M. With (68)Ga, specific activities as high as 9.8 mCi nmol(-1) were obtained without purification. In a 2 h competition experiment against human apo-transferrin, [(67)Ga(dedpa)](+) showed no decomposition. Two bifunctional versions of H(2)dedpa are also described, and these both coordinate to (67)Ga at RT within 10 min. Complete syntheses, characterizations, labeling studies, and biodistribution profiles of the (67)Ga complexes are presented for the new platform chelates. The stability of these platform chelates is higher than that of DOTA.     

Subtraction scintigraphy with 67Ga-citrate and 99mTc-colloid in the diagnosis of intrahepatic masses

Subtraction scintigraphy of the liver with 67Ga-citrate and 99mTc-colloid (99mTc-phytate) was performed by subtracting the image of the latter from the image of the former in 34 patients who were suspected of having intrahepatic masses, especially hepatoma. The computer used was Scintipac 1200 (32 KW memories and 2.4MBX2 disk memories). Both images were taken in a digital form (128 X 128 elements). After normalizing both images, 4 different factors (0.6, 0.8, 1.0, and 1.2) were applied to the 99mTc image before the subtraction from the 67Ga image. We found that this technique was very useful for the detection of abnormal 67Ga accumulation in the liver.     

The difference between the mechanism of 67Ga accumulation and 59Fe accumulation in cultured tumor cells

It is well known that the mechanism of 67Ga accumulation into tumor cells is mediated with transferrin receptor as well as iron. The present study was designed to explore the difference between the mechanism of gallium accumulation and that of iron by using mouse leukemic cell line L5178Y. When monensin which inhibits the recycle of transferrin receptor was added to the incubated system, accumulation of 59Fe and 67Ga was clearly diminished compared with that of control. However, inhibition of 59Fe accumulation was more remarkable than that of 67Ga. Furthermore, monensin has a action of Na+ ionophore which decreases Na+ gradient between the inside and the outside of the plasma membrane. Following administration of monensin, 67Ga accumulation was diminished according to the loss of the Na+ gradient. On the other hand, following administration of valinomycin, 67Ga accumulation was not affected by the loss of the K+ gradient. From these results, it was suggested that the mechanism of 67Ga accumulation into tumor cells differed from that of 59Fe and transferrin receptor and Na+ gradient of tumor cells played an important role on 67Ga accumulation into tumor cells.     

Distribution of 67Ga-citrate in 3'-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene-induced hepatoma of rats

The distribution of 67Ga-citrate in the hepatoma of rat induced by 3'-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene was studied. 67Ga uptake ratio resected specimen, autoradiography and histological specimen were compared each other. 67Ga uptake ratio of the tumor was increased 1.6 to 7.2 times (average 4.4) to control group. Regardless of the size of the tumor, macroautoradiographically observed distribution of 67Ga-citrate in the hepatoma was higher in the peripheral zone than in the central zone. Histologically the degeneration of tumor cell was low or absent in the peripheral zone of tumor, whereas it was intense in the central zone. 67Ga-citrate was highly accumulated in the zone which the degeneration was low or absent. We, however, could not demonstrate the site where 67Ga-citrate was incorporated.