A self-quenched galactosamine-serum albumin-rhodamineX conjugate: a "smart" fluorescent molecular imaging probe synthesized with clinically applicable material for detecting peritoneal ovarian cancer metastases.
OBJECTIVE
Fluorophore activation after cellular internalization of a targeted fluorescently labeled conjugate is an effective molecular imaging strategy to increase target-to-background ratios. The D-galactose receptor on ovarian cancer cells has been used to target self-quenched avidin-rhodamineX conjugates in which the avidin component binds to D-galactose receptor and the rhodamines are optically activated by dequenching only after cellular internalization. As a nonimmunogenic alternative of avidin, galactosamine-conjugated serum albumin (GmSA) targets the D-galactose receptor with higher binding affinity and has more conjugation sites available for rhodamineX than avidin.


METHODS
GmSA was conjugated with 20 rhodamineX molecules (GmSA-20ROX) to create a self-quenching complex, which was compared with a conjugate consisting of GmSA and a single rhodamineX (GmSA-1ROX) in ex vivo chemical activation characteristics, intracellular activation, and in vivo molecular imaging for detecting peritoneal micrometastases of SHIN3 ovarian cancer.


RESULTS
GmSA-20ROX was five times brighter than GmSA-1ROX when incubated with SHIN3 ovarian cancer cells for 3 h. Submillimeter SHIN3 ovarian cancer implants in the peritoneal cavity were clearly visualized in vivo with spectral fluorescence imaging due to the high tumor-to-background ratio. The sensitivity and specificity of GmSA-20ROX for implant detection were determined by colocalization of the rhodamineX emission with red fluorescent protein expressed constitutively in the SHIN3 tumor implants. Among 336 lesions, sensitivity and specificity were 99%/99%, respectively, for GmSA-20ROX, whereas the results for GmSA-1ROX were only 24%/100% (n = 388), respectively, for lesions approximately 0.8 mm or greater in diameter.


CONCLUSIONS
Self-quenched GmSA-20ROX is more efficient than previous d-galactose-targeted fluorescent conjugates.
Hama
Yukihiro
Y
Molecular Imaging Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-1088, USA.
Urano
Yasuteru
Y
Koyama
Yoshinori
Y
Gunn
Andrew J
AJ
Choyke
Peter L
PL
Kobayashi
Hisataka
H
D000818:Animals; D001360:Avidin / Q000737:chemistry; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry*; D005688:Galactosamine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D005690:Galactose / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence / Q000295:instrumentation; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D012235:Rhodamines / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000378:metabolism*; D000097573:Red Fluorescent Protein
D001360:Avidin; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D005688:Galactosamine; D005690:Galactose; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D012235:Rhodamines; D012709:Serum Albumin; D000097573:Red Fluorescent Protein; C525853:galactosamine-conjugated serum albumin-conjugated-(rhodamine X)20