Issue 6, 2019

Enzymatic radiosynthesis of a 18F-Glu-Ureido-Lys ligand for the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)

Abstract

Prostate cancer represents a major public health threat as it is one of the most common male cancers worldwide. The prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is highly over-expressed in prostatic cancer cells in a manner that correlates with both tumour stage and clinical outcome. As such, PSMA has been identified as an attractive target for both imaging and treatment of prostate cancer. In recent years the focus on urea-based peptidomimetic inhibitors of the PSMA (representing low molecular weight/high affinity binders) has intensified as they have found use in the clinical imaging of prostate tumours. Reported herein are the design, synthesis and evaluation of a new fluorinated PSMA targeting small-molecule, FDA-PEG-GUL, which possesses the Glu-NH-CO-NH-Lys pharmacophore conjugated to a 5′-fluorodeoxy-adenosine unit. Inhibition assays were performed with FDA-PEG-GUL which revealed that it inhibits the PSMA in the nanomolar range. Additionally, it has been purposely designed so that it can be produced using the fluorinase enzyme from its chlorinated precursor, allowing for the enzymatic synthesis of radiolabelled [18F]FDA-PEG-GUL via a nucleophilic reaction that takes place in experimentally advantageous conditions (in water at neutral pH and at ambient temperature). Specific binding of [18F]FDA-PEG-GUL to PSMA expressing cancer cells was demonstrated, validating it as a promising PSMA diagnostic tool. This work establishes a successful substrate scope expansion for the fluorinase and demonstrates its first application towards targeting the PSMA.

Graphical abstract: Enzymatic radiosynthesis of a 18F-Glu-Ureido-Lys ligand for the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
19 Dec 2018
Accepted
17 Jan 2019
First published
17 Jan 2019

Org. Biomol. Chem., 2019,17, 1480-1486

Enzymatic radiosynthesis of a 18F-Glu-Ureido-Lys ligand for the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)

P. T. Lowe, S. Dall'Angelo, I. N. Fleming, M. Piras, M. Zanda and D. O'Hagan, Org. Biomol. Chem., 2019, 17, 1480 DOI: 10.1039/C8OB03150A

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