Erythropoietin-producing hepatocellular (Eph) receptors are receptor tyrosine kinases involved in cell-cell contact. The EphA2 receptor is associated with cancer proliferation and migration. Therefore, EphA2 receptor imaging has the potential for cancer diagnosis. Here, we synthesized N-(5-((4-((4-ethylpiperazin-1-yl)methyl)-3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)carbamoyl)-2-methylphenyl)-5-[123I]iodonicotinamide ([123I]ETB) and evaluated it as an imaging tracer for single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging of the EphA2 receptor. [123I]ETB was designed on the basis of ALW-II-41-27, an inhibitor of EphA2 receptor kinase. Nonradioactive ETB was also synthesized and has been shown to efficiently inhibit EphA2 receptor kinase activity in vitro (IC50: ETB, 90.2 ± 18.9 nM). A cell-binding assay demonstrated that [125I]ETB binds specifically to the EphA2 receptor. The ex vivo biodistribution study of [125I]ETB in U87MG tumor-bearing mice also revealed tumor uptake (2.2% ID/g at 240 min). In addition, [123I]ETB uptake in tumors was visualized via SPECT/CT imaging. On the basis of the above, [123I]ETB can be considered a potential SPECT imaging tracer for the EphA2 receptor.
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