Py-Macrodipa: A Janus Chelator Capable of Binding Medicinally Relevant Rare-Earth Radiometals of Disparate Sizes

J Am Chem Soc. 2021 Jul 14;143(27):10429-10440. doi: 10.1021/jacs.1c05339. Epub 2021 Jun 30.

Abstract

Nuclear medicine leverages different types of radiometals for disease diagnosis and treatment, but these applications usually require them to be stably chelated. Given the often-disparate chemical properties of these radionuclides, it is challenging to find a single chelator that binds all of them effectively. Toward addressing this problem, we recently reported a macrocyclic chelator macrodipa with an unprecedented "dual-size-selectivity" pattern for lanthanide (Ln3+) ions, characterized by its high affinity for both the large and the small Ln3+ ( J. Am. Chem. Soc, 2020, 142, 13500). Here, we describe a second-generation "macrodipa-type" ligand, py-macrodipa. Its coordination chemistry with Ln3+ was thoroughly investigated experimentally and computationally. These studies reveal that the Ln3+-py-macrodipa complexes exhibit enhanced thermodynamic and kinetic stabilities compared to Ln3+-macrodipa, while retaining the unusual dual-size selectivity. Nuclear medicine applications of py-macrodipa for chelating radiometals with disparate chemical properties were assessed using the therapeutic 135La3+ and diagnostic 44Sc3+ radiometals representing the two size extremes within the rare-earth series. Radiolabeling and stability studies demonstrate that the rapidly formed complexes of these radionuclides with py-macrodipa are highly stable in human serum. Thus, in contrast to gold standard chelators like DOTA and macropa, py-macrodipa can be harnessed for the simultaneous, efficient binding of radiometals with disparate ionic radii like La3+ and Sc3+, signifying a substantial achievement in nuclear medicine. This concept could enable the facile incorporation of a breadth of medicinally relevant radiometals into chemically identical radiopharmaceutical agents. The fundamental coordination chemistry learned from py-macrodipa provides valuable insight for future chelator development.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Chelating Agents / chemistry*
  • Drug Delivery Systems
  • Drug Design
  • Hydrogen Bonding
  • Lanthanoid Series Elements / chemistry*
  • Macrocyclic Compounds / chemistry*
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Structure
  • Pyridines / chemistry*

Substances

  • Chelating Agents
  • Lanthanoid Series Elements
  • Macrocyclic Compounds
  • Py-macrodipa
  • Pyridines