title: Alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone peptide-targeted melanoma imaging.
abstract: Melanocortin-1 (MC1) receptor is an attractive melanoma-specific target over-expressed on the surface of melanoma cells. Alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) peptide analogues can specifically bind MC1 receptors with nanomolar binding affinities, making alpha-MSH peptide analogues very promising candidates for developing effective melanoma-specific imaging probes. This review highlights the strategies being used to design alpha-MSH peptide radiopharmaceuticals to target MC1 receptors and some recent developments of radiolabeled alpha-MSH peptide analogues for melanoma imaging.
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA. ymiao@salud.unm.edu
authors.forename: Yubin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miao
authors.forename: Thomas P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Quinn
mesh_terms: D003500:Cyclization; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D000521:alpha-MSH / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D010446:Peptide Fragments; D000521:alpha-MSH