Development and application of tumor diagnostic radioactive probe targeting folic acid receptor
11266755 · 2022-03-08
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
A61K49/0002
HUMAN NECESSITIES
International classification
A61K51/00
HUMAN NECESSITIES
A61K51/12
HUMAN NECESSITIES
Abstract
The present invention pertains to a novel liposome-based contrast agent that is for suppressing absorption in the reticuloendothelial system and for tumor-specific delivery of a radiolabeled substance. More specifically, the present invention pertains to: a liposome contrast agent containing a lipid and a compound of chemical formula 1, which is a radiolabeled substance, the liposome contrast agent being characterized in that the lipid is composed of (a) cholesterol, (b) 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC), and (c) 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N [methoxy(polyethylene glycol)-2000] (DSPE-PEG2000); and a cancer diagnostic composition containing the liposome contrast agent as an active ingredient. If a liposome system, containing a contrast substance of chemical formula 1 having a unique lipid composition provided by the present invention, is manufactured, the tumor-to-organ uptake ratio of the contrast substance in the reticuloendothelial system increases significantly, thus greatly increasing the tumor diagnostic efficiency of the compound of chemical formula 1.
Claims
1. A liposome contrast agent consisting of a compound defined by Chemical Formula 1 and a lipid, wherein the lipid consists of (a) cholesterol; (b) 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC); and (c) 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N[methoxy (polyethyleneglycol)-2000] (DSPE-PEG2000): ##STR00012## wherein, X is a radioisotope of iodine, and k is in a range of 5≤k≤30, and wherein a molar ratio of (a):(b):(c) is 1:5 to 25:3 to 15.
2. The liposome contrast agent of claim 1, wherein X in the Chemical Formula 1 is a radioisotope of iodine selected from the group of consisting of .sup.123I, .sup.124I, .sup.125I, and .sup.131I.
3. The liposome contrast agent of claim 1, wherein the compound defined by the Chemical Formula 1 is hexadecyl-4-[.sup.131I]iodobenzoate defined by Chemical Formula 2: ##STR00013##
4. A liposome contrast agent consisting of a compound defined by Chemical Formula 1 and a lipid, wherein the lipid consists of: (a) cholesterol; (b) 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC); and (c-1) 1,2-distearoyl-cn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N[methoxy(polyethyleneglycol)-2000 (DSPE-PEG2000)]; and (c-2) 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N[methoxy(polyethyleneglycol)-2000-folate] (DSPE-PEG2000-folate): ##STR00014## wherein X is a radioisotope of iodine and k is in a range of 5≤k≤30, and wherein a molar ratio of (a):(b):(c-1):(c-2) is 1:5 to 25:2 to 8:1 to 7.
5. The liposome contrast agent of claim 1, wherein the contrast agent is used for optical imaging, positron emission tomography (PET) scanning, or single photon tomography (SPECT) scanning.
6. A method for diagnosing a cancer in a subject suspected for having a cancer, the method comprising: imaging the subject by administering an effective amount of a composition comprising the liposome contrast agent of claim 1 to the subject; and diagnosing the subject with the cancer based on imaging results.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein absorption of the compound defined by the Chemical Formula 1 is reduced in a reticuloendothelial system and absorption of the compound defined by the Chemical Formula 1 is increased in a folate receptor-overexpressing tumor.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the folate receptor-overexpressing tumor is selected from the group consisting of pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, lung cancer, cervical cancer, colon cancer, melanoma, kidney cancer, brain tumor, myeloid leukemia, and head and neck cancer.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the folate receptor-overexpressing tumor is pancreatic cancer.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS/FIGURES
(1) The patent or application file contains at least one drawing executed in color. Copies of this patent or patent application publication with color drawing(s) will be provided by the Office upon request and payment of the necessary fee.
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MODE FOR CARRYING OUT INVENTION
(15) Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples, experimental examples and manufacturing examples. However, the following examples, experimental examples and preparation examples are illustrative of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the following examples, experimental examples and manufacturing examples.
Example 1: Preparation of Liposomes Specialized for HIB
(16) DPPC (1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine), DPPG (1,2-dihexadecanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-3-(1′-rac-glycero)), cholesterol, DSPE-PEG2000 (1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N[methoxy (polyethyleneglycol)-2000]; abbreviated as PEG in figures and tables) were mixed according to the molar ratios as shown in
(17) TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 No. Lipid composition 1 DPPC:DPPG:cholesterol:PEG = 8:1:3:1 2 DPPC:DPPG:cholesterol:PEG = 1:8:3:1 3 DPPC:DPPG:cholesterol:PEG = 8:1:3:7 4 DPPC:DPPG:cholesterol:PEG = 1:8:3:7 5 DPPC:DPPG:cholesterol:PEG = 8:8:7:7 6 DPPC:DPPG:cholesterol:PEG = 8:8:0:7 7 DPPG:cholesterol:PEG = 12:1:7 8 DPPC:cholesterol:PEG = 12:1:7
(18) Afterwards, in order to examine in vivo distribution of liposomes of each composition in the mouse tumor model, experiments to verify biodistribution were performed by injection the liposome contrast agents (20 μCi) into the tail veins of CT26 cancer-BALB/C mice.
(19) As a results as shown in
(20) And, as shown in
(21) In the composition of liposomes using only DPPG as lipid, spleen uptake was particularly increased, and tumor uptake was markedly low. These results confirmed that the composition of liposomes greatly influenced the uptake by tumors and reticuloendothelial system, and the release and discharge of HIB loaded on the liposomes. It was also noted that a specific liposome composition ratio is required resulting the optimal outcome in the tumor diagnosis using HIB.
Example 2: Verification of the HIB Specialization and the Effect of Folate Attachment Ratio
(22) 1-(hexadecyloxy)-4-iodobenzene (HIB-ether) was synthesized and radiolabeled with .sup.131I to prepare [.sup.131I] HIB-ether defined by the following Chemical Formula 7. After synthesizing liposomes with the lipid composition (see Table 2) shown in
(23) ##STR00011##
(24) TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Type Lipid composition Folate-[.sup.131I]HIB- DPPC:Cholesterol:DSPE-PEG2000:DSPE- liposome PEG2000-folate = 12:1:5:2 Folate-[.sup.131I]HIB-ether- DPPC:Cholesterol:DSPE-PEG2000:DSPE- liposome PEG2000-folate = 12:1:5:2 Folate-[.sup.131I]HIB- DPPC:Cholesterol:DSPE-PEG2000-folate = liposome(No PEG) 12:1:2
(25) In Table 2, “Folate-[.sup.131I]HIB-liposome” means that [.sup.131I]HIB is loaded in the liposomes having the lipid composition shown in the above table. The “Folate-[.sup.131I]HIB-ether-liposome” indicates that [.sup.131I]HIB-ether is loaded on the liposomes having the lipid composition shown in the above table. The “Folate-[.sup.131I]HIB-liposome (No PEG)” refers to the liposomes loaded with [.sup.131I]HIB having the lipid composition shown in the above table.
(26) As shown in
(27)
Example 3: Evaluation of Cellular Uptake of the Liposome Contrast Agent In Vitro
(28) To evaluate the degrees of absorption of folate-[.sup.124I]HIB-liposome prepared in Example 2 in tumor cells, tumor cells and normal cells derived from various tissues were examined for in vitro cellular uptake capacity.
(29) After dispensing tumor cells or normal cells derived from each tissue 1×10.sup.5 cells per well and allowing to adhere onto the surface of the culture dish, the folate receptor-targeting liposome contrast agents prepared in Example 2 (folate-[.sup.124I] HIB-liposome) were applied, and the experiment was conducted to compare the degrees of cellular intake 12 hours and 24 hours after the treatment. Normal cells: BNL CL.2 (liver), HEK293 (kidney), Raw264.7 (macrophage) Tumor cells: MDA-MB-231 (breast cancer), B16F10 (melanoma), HeLa (cervical cancer), SKOV3 (ovarian cancer), CT26 (colorectal cancer), 4T1 (breast cancer)
(30) Specifically, the cells were divided into 6 well plates 24 hours before the experiment and allowed to sufficiently adhere to the surface of the culture plate, then treated with folate receptor-targeting liposome contrast agent (folate-[.sup.124I]HIB-liposome), 2 μCi per well. Subsequently cells were placed in the incubator for 12 hours or 24 hours and cultured for the time to ingest the liposomes.
(31) After 12 hours and 24 hours, cells corresponding to each condition were first washed three times with PBS to remove all liposomes which did not get ingested into the cells, and then treated with trypsin-EDTA solution to release the cells from the bottom of the plate, transferred to a tube prepared in advance, and tubes corresponding to each condition was measured for radioactivity using gamma counter to check the cellular uptake.
(32) The results are shown in
(33) Folate receptors are known to be expressed at higher levels in tumor cells than normal cells. As can be seen in
Example 4: Confirmation of Specificity for Folate Receptor In Vivo
(34) Two types of pancreatic cancer cells (PANC-1, MIA PaCa-2) were used for the pancreatic cancer xenograft models for the experiments. PANC-1 was characterized by overexpressing folate receptors, while MIA PaCa-2 is a pancreatic cancer cell line reported to have lower expression of folate receptors.
(35) After injecting two types of pancreatic cancer cells into each flank of the same mouse to establish a xenograft model, the liposome contrast agent folate-[.sup.124I]HIB-liposome) was injected into the tail vein (200 μCi) and PET scanning was carried out 24 hours later.
(36) The results for this are shown in
(37) As shown in
Example 5: Evaluation of Liposome Absorption In Vivo
(38) After confirming that the liposome contrast agent according to the present invention exhibits a very high absorption rate specifically for tumor cells in Example 3, the degrees of absorption of the liposome contrast agent in various tissues transplanted with tumor cells in the mouse model were measured.
Example 5-1: Xenograft Mouse Model
(39) Cervical cancer cells (HeLa cells), ovarian cancer cells (SKOV3 cells), skin cancer (melanoma) cells (B16F10 cells) or colon cancer cells (CT26 cells) were injected in the right flank of mice. When tumors grew to a size of less than 1 cm, each organ was extracted 24 hours after the injection and the degree of absorption of the liposomes was evaluated.
(40) The results are shown in
(41) As can be seen in
(42) As can be seen in
(43) As can be seen in
(44) As can be seen in
(45) On the other hand, the present inventors conducted nuclear imaging experiments using PET besides biodistribution experiments to evaluate whether the liposome contrast agent according to the present invention can be used as a radioactive probe for tumor diagnosis.
(46) Briefly, the liposome contrast agent (folate-[.sup.124I]HIB-liposome) was injected into the tail vein (200 μCi) of xenograft models of breast cancer cells 4T1, MDA-MB-231 or colorectal cancer cells CT26. PET images were obtained 24 hours after the injection, and results observed.
(47) The results are shown in
(48) As shown in
(49) 5-2: Orthotopic Mouse Model
(50) To evaluate the active target-oriented activity of the liposome contrast agent in the orthotopic model rather than the xenograft model, an orthotopic model of pancreatic cancer was established, and following experiments were conducted (
(51) First, we used PANC-1/Luc+ cells expressing luminescence enzymes called luciferase to check the incidence of tumors in the abdominal cavity. These cells were injected at the tip of the pancreas, and 21 days later, it was confirmed that the orthotopic model was well established by luminescence images using IVIS and ensuing experiments were carried out.
(52) PET images were obtained 24 hours after the injection of the liposome contrast agent (folate-[.sup.124I]HIB-liposome) into the tail vein (200 μCi) of the established pancreatic cancer orthotopic model. Then, when the abdomen was opened, IVIS was used to obtain Cerenkov luminescent images of the liposome contrast agent and a luminescence images using luciferin to identify tumor cells.
(53) The results are shown in
(54) As can be seen in
Example 6: Evaluation of Tumor Diagnosis Capability in the Breast Cancer Metastasis Model
(55) In the case of breast cancer, it is understood that it easily metastasizes to surrounding tissues and other body parts outside the breast, and in particular, metastasis to bone is known to occur frequently.
(56) The present inventors conducted experiments to check whether metastasis of breast cancer can be diagnosed early through PET imaging after 24 hours of injecting the liposome contrast agent according to the present invention.
(57) For the breast cancer metastasis model, MDA-MB-231/Luc+ was used, and after 10 days of direct injection of 1×10.sup.5 cells into the left ventricle, IVIS-assisted luminescence images confirmed that bone metastasis occurred to the femoral bones. After verifying the establishment of bone metastasis model of breast cancer, further experiments were carried out (
(58) The results are shown in
(59) As shown in
(60) Meanwhile, a lung metastasis model was prepared by injecting another breast cancer cell 4T1/Luc+ cells (1×10.sup.5) into tail vein and establishment of the metastasis model was confirmed by detecting high signals in the lung using luciferin luminescence imaging. After the injection of the liposome contrast agent (folate-[.sup.124I]HIB-liposome) according to the present invention into the tail vein of the lung metastasis model (200 μCi), the PET was scanned, which showed that lung metastasis can be diagnosed clearly as well. By confirming that the signal is well matched with the signal for metastatic breast cancer cells in the luminescence image, it was determined that the strong signal of the PET images was due to tumor cells metastasized to the lung (
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
(61) As described so far, the present invention relates to a novel liposome-based contrast agent for the inhibition of reticuloendothelial absorption and tumor-specific delivery of radioactive tracers, and more particularly to a liposome contrast agent characterized by consisting of a compound defined by Chemical Formula 1 as a radioactive tracer and lipid, wherein the lipid is characterized by consisting of (a) cholesterol; (b) 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC); and (c) 1,2-dstearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N [methoxy (polyethyleneglycol)-2000 (DSPE-PEG2000) and a cancer diagnostic composition containing the same as an active ingredient.
(62) When a liposome system equipped with a contrast agent of Chemical Formula 1 with a unique lipid composition provided by the present invention is prepared, the tumor-to-organ uptake ratio in tumors compared to RES organs is significantly increased, highly enhancing diagnostic efficiency of the compound of Chemical Formula 1 for tumors, therefore it is highly industrially applicable as a diagnostic tool.