A comparative study of peptide-based imaging agents [Ga]Ga-PSMA-11, [Ga]Ga-AMBA, [Ga]Ga-NODAGA-RGD and [Ga]Ga-DOTA-NT-20.3 in preclinical prostate tumour models.

INTRODUCTION

Peptide-based imaging agents targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) have revolutionized the evaluation of biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer (PCa) but lacks sensitivity at very low serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels. Once recurrence is suspected, other positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracers could be of interest to discriminate between local and distant relapse. We studied [F]fluorodeoxyglucose ([F]FDG) targeting glucose metabolism, [F]fluorocholine ([F]FCH) targeting membrane metabolism and peptide-based imaging agents [Ga]Ga-PSMA-11, [Ga]Ga-AMBA, [Ga]Ga-NODAGA-RGD and [Ga]Ga-DOTA-NT-20.3 targeting PSMA, gastrin releasing peptide receptor (GRPr), αvβ3 integrin and neurotensin type 1 receptor (NTSR1) respectively, in different PCa tumour models.

METHODS

Mice were xenografted with 22Rv1, an androgen-receptor (AR)-positive, PCa cell line that expresses PSMA and PC3, an AR-negative one that does not express PSMA. PET imaging using the different radiotracers was performed sequentially and the uptake characteristics compared to one other. NTSR1 and PSMA expression levels were analysed in tumours by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS

[F]FDG displayed low but sufficient uptake to visualize PC3 and 22Rv1 derived tumours. We also observed a low efficacy of [F]FCH PET imaging and a low [Ga]Ga-NODAGA-RGD tumour uptake in those tumours. As expected, an elevated tumour uptake was obtained for [Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 in 22Rv1 derived tumour although no uptake was measured in the androgen independent cell line PC3, derived from a bone metastasis of a high-grade PCa. Moreover, in PC3 cell line, we obtained good tumour uptake, high tumour-to-background contrast using [Ga]Ga-AMBA and [Ga]Ga-DOTA-NT-20.3. Immunohistochemistry analysis confirmed high NTSR1 expression in PC3 derived tumours and conversely high PSMA expression in 22Rv1 derived tumours.

CONCLUSION

PET imaging using [Ga]Ga-AMBA and [Ga]Ga-DOTA-NT-20.3 demonstrates that GRPr and NTSR1 could represent viable alternative targets for diagnostic or therapeutic applications in PCa with limited PSMA expression levels. More preclinical and clinical studies will follow to explore this potential.

ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PATIENT

Peptide-based imaging agents targeting PSMA represent a major progress in the evaluation of biochemical recurrence of PCa but sometimes yield false negative results in some lesions. Continuing efforts have thus been made to evaluate other radiotracers. Our preclinical results suggest that [Ga]labelled bombesin and neurotensin analogues could serve as alternative PET radiopharmaceuticals for diagnostic or therapy in cases of PSMA-negative PCa.