[18 F]FPyZIDE: A versatile prosthetic reagent for the fluorine-18 radiolabeling of biologics via copper-catalyzed or strain-promoted alkyne-azide cycloadditions

[18F]fluoride Activation and 18F-Labelling in Hydrous Conditions-Towards a Microfluidic Synthesis of PET Radiopharmaceuticals

18F-labelled radiopharmaceuticals are indispensable in positron emission tomography. The critical step in the preparation of 18F-labelled tracers is the anhydrous F-18 nucleophilic substitution reaction, which involves [18F]F- anions generated in aqueous media by the cyclotron. For this, azeotropic drying by distillation is widely used in standard synthesisers, but microfluidic systems are often not compatible with such a process. To avoid this step, several methods compatible with aqueous media have been developed. We summarised the existing approaches and two of them have been studied in detail. [18F]fluoride elution efficiencies have been investigated under different conditions showing high 18F-recovery. Finally, a large scope of precursors has been assessed for radiochemical conversion, and these hydrous labelling techniques have shown their potential for tracer production using a microfluidic approach, more particularly compatible with iMiDEV™ cassette volumes.

Recent Advances in Bioorthogonal Click Chemistry for Enhanced PET and SPECT Radiochemistry

Due to their high reaction rate and reliable selectivity, bioorthogonal click reactions have been extensively investigated in numerous research fields, such as nanotechnology, drug delivery, molecular imaging, and targeted therapy. Previous reviews on bioorthogonal click chemistry for radiochemistry mainly focus on ¹⁸F-labeling protocols employed to produce radiotracers and radiopharmaceuticals. In fact, besides fluorine-18, other radionuclides such as gallium-68, iodine-125, and technetium-99m are also used in the field of bioorthogonal click chemistry. Herein, to provide a more comprehensive perspective, we provide a summary of recent advances in radiotracers prepared using bioorthogonal click reactions, including small molecules, peptides, proteins, antibodies, and nucleic acids as well as nanoparticles based on these radionuclides. The combination of pretargeting with imaging modalities or nanoparticles, as well as the clinical translations study, are also discussed to illustrate the effects and potential of bioorthogonal click chemistry for radiopharmaceuticals.

Novel [18F]-labeled thiol for the labeling of Dha- or maleimide-containing biomolecules

Background

Prosthetic approach for the radiolabeling of biologics with fluorine-18 is a robust strategy and has been employed for many years. It requires fast, biocompatible and selective reactions suited to these fragile molecules. Michael addition of a nucleophilic thiol moiety on α,β-unsaturated carbonyl entities is an interesting compromise between simplicity of preparation of the prosthetic reagent and control of the selectivity of the addition. The α,β-unsaturated carbonyl entity of the biologic can easily be generated by addition of a maleimide function using adequate heterobifunctional linkers or generated by selective modification of a cysteine residue leading to a dehydroalanine moiety. We report here the design, synthesis and radiosynthesis of a new fluoropyridine-based thiol [¹⁸F]FPySH and its conjugation via Michael addition on model dehydroalanine- or maleimide-containing biologics.

Results

The preparation of cold reference and labeling precursor of [¹⁸F]FPySH was achieved and its radiosynthesis was fully automated, enabling production of the thiol prosthetic group with a 7 ± 2.1% radiochemical yield after two steps. The conjugation of [¹⁸F]FPySH to two model Dha-containing molecules was then carried out in reducing conditions, yielding the corresponding adducts in 30–45 min reaction time. Furthermore, [¹⁸F]FPySH was employed to radiolabel the maleimide-modified c(RGDfK) peptide, affording the radiofluorinated analogue in 15 min.

Conclusion

We have developed an original [¹⁸F]-labeled thiol for site-selective conjugation and radiolabeling of Dha or maleimide-containing biomolecules of interest. Labeling of three model compounds was successfully carried out and gave the expected radiofluorinated adducts in less than 45 min, thus compatible with fluorine-18 half-life.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s41181-022-00160-5.

Multifluorinated Aryl Azides for the Development of Improved H2 S Probes, and Fast Strain-promoted Azide-Alkyne Cycloaddition and Staudinger Reactions

The development of advanced bioorthogonal reactions for detection and labeling of biomolecules is significant in chemical biology. Recently, researchers have found that multifluorinated aryl azides hold great potential for the development of improved bioorthogonal reactions. The fluorine atom can be a perfect substituent group because of its properties of excellent electronegativity and small steric hindrance. In this Minireview, we discuss recent developments of improved hydrogen sulfide (H₂ S) fluorescence probes, fast strain-promoted azide-alkyne cycloaddition (SPAAC) and nonhydrolysis Staudinger reactions based on the use of multifluorinated aryl azides. Additionally, kinetic studies and biological applications of these reactions are also presented.

Recent Advances in Bioorthogonal Click Chemistry for Efficient Synthesis of Radiotracers and Radiopharmaceuticals

In recent years, several catalyst-free site-specific reactions have been investigated for the efficient conjugation of biomolecules, nanomaterials, and living cells. Representative functional group pairs for these reactions include the following: (1) azide and cyclooctyne for strain-promoted cycloaddition reaction, (2) tetrazine and trans-alkene for inverse-electron-demand-Diels–Alder reaction, and (3) electrophilic heterocycles and cysteine for rapid condensation/addition reaction. Due to their excellent specificities and high reaction rates, these conjugation methods have been utilized for the labeling of radioisotopes (e.g., radiohalogens, radiometals) to various target molecules. The radiolabeled products prepared by these methods have been applied to preclinical research, such as in vivo molecular imaging, pharmacokinetic studies, and radiation therapy of cancer cells. In this review, we explain the basics of these chemical reactions and introduce their recent applications in the field of radiopharmacy and chemical biology. In addition, we discuss the significance, current challenges, and prospects of using bioorthogonal conjugation reactions.