Design, Synthesis, and Imaging of Small Amphiphilic Rhenium and 99mTechnetium Tricarbonyl Complexes

Development of a 99mTc-labeled tetrazine for pretargeted SPECT imaging using an alendronic acid-based bone targeting model

Pretargeting, which is the separation of target accumulation and the administration of a secondary imaging agent into two sequential steps, offers the potential to improve image contrast and reduce radiation burden for nuclear imaging. In recent years, the tetrazine ligation has emerged as a promising approach to facilitate covalent pretargeted imaging due to its unprecedented kinetics and bioorthogonality. Pretargeted bone imaging with TCO-modified alendronic acid (Aln-TCO) is an attractive model that allows the evaluation of tetrazines in healthy animals without the need for complex disease models or targeting regimens. Recent structure-activity relationship studies of tetrazines evaluated important parameters for the design of potent tetrazine-radiotracers for pretargeted imaging. However, limited information is available for 99mTc-labeled tetrazines. In this study, four tetrazines intended for labeling with fac-[99mTc(OH2)3 (CO)3]+ were synthesized and evaluated using an Aln-TCO mouse model. 3,6-bis(2-pyridyl)-1,2,4,5-Tz without additional linker showed higher pretargeted bone uptake and less background activity compared to the same scaffold with a PEG8 linker or 3-phenyl-1,2,4,5-Tz-based compounds. Additionally, improved bone/blood ratios were observed in pretargeted animals compared to animals receiving directly labeled Aln-TCO. The results of this study implicate 3,6-bis(2-pyridyl)-1,2,4,5-Tz as a promising scaffold for potential 99mTc-labeled tetrazines.

Lipophilic Re(CO)3pyca complexes for Mid-IR imaging applications

Several Re(i)pyca conjugates incorporating long aliphatic amines have been synthesized through a one-pot methodology. The compounds have been fully characterized, and seven compounds have been structurally elucidated by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The C14 variant was probed as a potential organometallic IR dye. Large unilamellar vesicles were generated with DOPC and the C14 compound and we observed incorporation of the rhenium complex as observed by FTIR microscopy.

Systematically altering the lipophilicity of rhenium(I) tricarbonyl anticancer agents to tune the rate at which they induce cell death

Rhenium-based anticancer agents have arisen as promising alternatives to conventional platinum-based drugs. Based on previous studies demonstrating how increasing lipophilicity improves drug uptake within the cell, we sought to investigate the effects of lipophilicity on the anticancer activity of a series of six rhenium(i) tricarbonyl complexes. These six rhenium(i) tricarbonyl structures, called Re-Chains, bear pyridyl imine ligands with different alkyl chains ranging in length from two to twelve carbons. The cytotoxicities of these compounds were measured in HeLa cells. At long timepoints (48 h), all compounds are equally cytotoxic. At shorter time points, however, the compounds with longer alkyl chains are significantly more active than those with smaller chains. Cellular uptake studies of these compounds show that they are taken up via both passive and active pathways. Collectively, these studies show how lipophilicity affects the rate at which these Re compounds induce their biological activities.

Exploring the cellular uptake and localisation of phosphorescent rhenium fac-tricarbonyl metallosurfactants as a function of lipophilicity

The cellular distribution of amphiphilic rhenium(i) complexes is tuned by the nature of the axial donor.

Complexes possessing rare "tertiary" sulfonamide nitrogen-to-metal bonds of normal length: fac-[Re(CO)3(N(SO2R)dien)]PF6 complexes with hydrophilic sulfonamide ligands

Tertiary sulfonamide nitrogen-to-metal bonds of normal length are very rare. We recently discovered such a bond in one class of fac-[Re(CO)3(N(SO2R)(CH2Z)2)](n) complexes (Z = 2-pyridyl) with N(SO2R)dpa ligands derived from di-(2-picolyl)amine (N(H)dpa). fac-[M(CO)3(N(SO2R)(CH2Z)2)](n) agents (M = (186/188)Re, (99m)Tc) could find use as radiopharmaceutical bioconjugates when R is a targeting moiety. However, the planar, electron-withdrawing 2-pyridyl groups of N(SO2R)dpa destabilize the ligand to base and create relatively rigid chelate rings, raising the possibility that the rare M-N(sulfonamide) bond is an artifact of a restricted geometry. Also, the hydrophobic 2-pyridyl groups could cause undesirable accumulation in the liver, limiting future use in radiopharmaceuticals. Our goal is to identify a robust, hydrophilic, and flexible N(CH2Z)2 chelate framework. New C2-symmetric ligands, N(SO2R)(CH2Z)2 with (Z = CH2NH2; R = Me, dmb, or tol), were prepared by treating N(H)dien(Boc)2, a protected diethylenetriamine (N(H)dien) derivative, with methanesulfonyl chloride (MeSO2Cl), 3,5-dimethylbenzenesulfonyl chloride (dmbSO2Cl), and 4-methylbenzenesulfonyl chloride (tolSO2Cl). Treatment of fac-[Re(CO)3(H2O)3](+) with these ligands, designated as N(SO2R)dien, afforded new fac-[Re(CO)3(N(SO2R)dien)]PF6 complexes. Comparing the fac-[Re(CO)3(N(SO2Me)dien)]PF6 and fac-[Re(CO)3(N(SO2Me)dpa)]PF6 complexes, we find that the Re(I)-N(sulfonamide) bonds are normal in length and statistically identical and that the methyl (13)C NMR signal has an unusually upfield shift compared to that in the free ligand. We attribute this unusual upfield shift to the fact that the sulfonamide N undergoes an sp(2)-to-sp(3) rehybridization upon coordination to Re(I) in both complexes. Thus, the sulfonamide N of N(SO2R)dien ligands is a good donor, even though the chelate rings are conformationally flexible. Addition of the strongly basic and potentially monodentate ligand, 4-dimethylaminopyridine, did not affect the fac-[Re(CO)3(N(SO2tol)dien)]PF6 complex, even after several weeks. This complex is also stable to heat in aqueous solution. These results indicate that N(SO2R)dien ligands form fac-[Re(CO)3(N(SO2R)dien)]PF6 complexes sufficiently robust to be utilized for radiopharmaceutical development.

Formation of a metal-to-nitrogen bond of normal length by a neutral sufonamide group within a tridentate ligand. A new approach to radiopharmaceutical bioconjugation

We demonstrate that a tertiary sulfonamide group, N(SO2R)R'2, can rehybridize to form a M-N bond of normal length even when the group is in a linear tridentate ligand, such as in the new tridentate N(SO2R)dpa ligands derived from di-(2-picolyl)amine (N(H)dpa). N(SO2R)dpa ligands were used to prepare fac-[Re(CO)3(N(SO2R)dpa)](PF6 or BF4) complexes. Structural characterization of the new complexes established that the tertiary sulfonamide nitrogen atom binds to Re with concomitant sp(2)-to-sp(3) rehybridization, facilitating facial coordination. The new fac-[Re(CO)3(N(SO2R)dpa)]X structures provide the only examples for any metal with the sulfonamide as part of a noncyclic linear tridentate ligand and with a normal metal-to-nitrogen(tertiary sulfonamide) bond length. Rare previous examples of such normal M-N bonds have been found only in more constrained situations, such as with tripodal tetradentate ligands. Our long-term objectives for the new tridentate N(SO2R)dpa ligands are to develop the fundamental chemistry relevant to the eventual use of the fac-[M(I)(CO)3](+) core (M = (99m)Tc, (186/188)Re) in imaging and therapy. The sulfonamide group uniquely contributes to two of our goals: expanding ways to conjugate the fac-[M(I)(CO)3](+) core to biological molecules and also developing new symmetrical tridentate ligands that can coordinate facially to this core. Tests of our conjugation method, conducted by linking the fac-[Re(I)(CO)3](+) core to a new tetraarylporphyrin (T(N(SO2C6H4)dpa)P) as well as to a dansyl (5-(dimethylamino)naphthalene-1-sulfonyl) group, demonstrate that large molecular fragments can be tethered via a coordinated tertiary sulfonamide linkage to this core.