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Advances in nuclear medicine depend on chelating ligands that form highly stable and kinetically inert complexes with relevant radiometal ions for use in diagnosis or therapy. A new potentially decadentate ligand, H5decaox, was synthesised to incorporate two 8-hydroxyquinoline moieties on either end of a diethylene triamine backbone decorated with three carboxylic acids, one at each N atom of the backbone. Metal complexation was assessed using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and high-resolution massspectrometry (HR-MS) with In3+, Zr4+ and La3+. Solution thermodynamic studies provided the stepwise protonation constants and metal formation constants, indicating a high affinity for both In3+ and Zr4+ (pIn = 32.3 and pZr = 34.7), and density functional theory (DFT) calculations provided insight to the coordination environments with either metal ion.Concentration dependent radiolabeling experiments with [111In]InCl3 and [89Zr]ZrCl4 showed promise as quantitative radiolabeling (>95%) occurred at micromolar concentrations, under mild, near-physiological conditions of pH 7 and room temperature for 30 minutes. Serum stability of both radiometal complexes was investigated and the [111In]In(decaox) complex remained 91% intact after 24 hours while the [89Zr]Zr(decaox) complex was 86% intact over the same time, comparable to other chelating ligands previously assessed with the same methods. The high radiolabeling yields, limited serum protein transchelation and structural insight of [89Zr]Zr(decaox) complex suggests a promising fit between the oxinate-containing ligand and the Zr4+ ion, setting the stage for further investigations with a functionalised version of the chelator for its potential in PET imaging.

The bisoxine hexadentate chelating ligand H3glyox was investigated for its affinity for Mn2+, Cu2+ and Lu3+ ions; all three metal ions are medicinally relevant with applications in nuclear medicine and medicinal inorganic chemistry. The aqueous coordination chemistry and thermodynamic stability of all three metal complexes was thoroughly investigated by detailed DFT structure calculations and stability constant determination, by employing UV in-batch spectrophotometric titrations, giving pM values – pCu (25.2) > pLu (18.1) > pMn (12.0). DFT calculated structures revealed different geometries and coordination preferences of the three metal ions; notable was an inner sphere water molecule in the Mn2+ complex. H3glyox labels [52Mn]Mn2+, [64Cu]Cu2+ and [177Lu]Lu3+ at ambient conditions with apparent molar activities of 40 MBq/mol, 500 MBq/mol and 25 GBq/mol, respectively. Collectively, these initial investigations provide significant insight into the effects of metal ion size and charge on the chelation with the hexadentate H3glyox and the potential use of the Mn2+-H3glyox complex in 52/55Mn-based bimodal imaging.

A new versatile chelating ligand for intermediate size and softness radiometals [64Cu]Cu2+ and [111In]In3+, H2pyhox, was synthesized by introducing pyridine as a new donor moiety to complement 8-hydroxyquinoline on an ethylenediamine backbone. The combination of pyridine and oxine as donor sets was explored through structural analysis, and crystals of the three metal complexes with Cu2+, La3+ and In3+ demonstrate how the ligand adapts to accommodate metal ions of different sizes and charge. Exhaustive in-batch UV solution studies characterized the protonation constants of the free ligand as well as the formation constants of the metal complexes with Cu2+, In3+ and La3+. Preliminary concentration dependent radiolabeling studies with [111In]In3+ and [64Cu]Cu2+ show the robustness of H2pyhox to successfully coordinate both radiometals under mild conditions (< 15 min, room temperature, pH 6). H2pyhox is the first oxinate ligand to successfully radiolabel [225Ac]Ac3+, albeit only at high concentrations (0.1 – 1 mM) with gentle heating to 37℃. Whole serum, protein and ligand challenge assays further demonstrate the kinetic inertness of the radiometal-ligand complexes, confirming H2pyhox to be a promising versatile radiopharmaceutical chelator.

H4pypa is a nonadentate nonmacrocyclic chelator which previously demonstrated high affinity for scandium-44, lutetium-177 and indium-111. Herein, we report the highly stable binary [Zr(pypa)] complex; the non-radioactive complex was synthesized and characterized in detail using high resolution electrospray-ionization mass spectroscopy (HR-ESI-MS) and various nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies (NMR), which revealed a C2v-symmetry of the complex. The geometry of [Zr(pypa)] was further detailed via X-ray crystallography and compared to the structure of [Fe(Hpypa)]. Despite a slow complexation rate with an association half-life of 31.4 h at pH 2 and room temperature, the [Zr(pypa)] complex is thermodynamically stable (log KML = 38.92, pZr =39.4). Radiochemical studies demonstrated quantitative radiolabeling achieved at 10 µM chelatorconcentration within 2 h at 40°C and pH = 7, antibody-compatible conditions. Of utmost importance, [89Zr][Zr(pypa)] is highly kinetically inert upon challenge with excess EDTA and DFO ligands, superior to [89Zr][Zr(DFO)], and maintains inertness towards human serum.

44/47Sc3+, 68Ga3+ and 111In3+ are the three most attractive trivalent smaller radiometalnuclides, offering a wide range of distinct properties (emission energies and types) in the toolbox of nuclear medicine. In this study, all three of the metal ions are successfully chelated using a new oxine-based hexadentate ligand, H3glyox, which forms thermodynamically stable and kinetically inert neutral complexes with exceptionally high pM values [pIn (34) > pSc (26) > pGa (24.9)]. X-ray diffraction single crystal structures with stable isotopes revealed that the ligand is highly preorganized and has a perfect fit to size cavity to form [Sc(glyox)(H2O)] and [In(glyox)(H2O)] complexes. Quantitative radiolabeling of 68Ga (RCY > 95%, [L]= 10-5 M) and 111In (RCY > 99%, [L]= 10-8 M) was achieved at ambient conditions (RT, pH 7 and 15 min) with very high apparent molar activities of 750 MBq/mol and 650 MBq/nmol, respectively. Preliminary quantitative radiolabeling of 44ScCl3 (RCY > 99%, [L] = 10-6 M) was fast at room temperature (pH 7 and 10 min). In vitro experiments revealed exceptional stability of both 68Ga(glyox) and 111In(glyox) complexes against human serum (rate of transchelation < 2%) and its suitability for biological applications. Additionally, on chelation with metal ions, H3glyox exhibits enhanced fluorescence which was employed to determine the stability constants for Sc(glyox) complex in addition to the in-batch UV-vis spectrophotometric titrations; as a proof-of-concept these complexes were used to obtain fluorescence images of live HeLa cells using natSc(glyox) and natGa(glyox), confirming the viability of the cells. These initial investigations suggest H3glyox to be a valuable chelator for radiometalbased diagnosis (nuclear and optical imaging) and therapy.

A phosphinate-bearing picolinic acid-based chelating ligand (H6dappa) was synthesized and characterized to assess its potential in a bifunctional chelator (BFC) for inorganic radiopharmaceuticals. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was employed to investigate the chelator coordination chemistry with a variety of nonradioactive trivalent metal ions (In3+, Lu3+, Y3+, Sc3+, La3+, Bi3+). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations explored the coordination environments of aforementioned metal complexes. The thermodynamic stability of H6dappa with four metal ions (In3+, Lu3+, Y3+, Sc3+) was deeply investigated via potentiometric and spectrophotometric (UV-vis) titrations, employing a combination of acidic in-batch, joint potentiometric/spectrophotometric, and ligand-ligand competition titrations; high stability constants and pM values were calculated for all four metal complexes. Radiolabeling conditions for three clinically relevant radiometal ions were optimized ([111In]In3+, [177Lu]Lu3+, [90Y]Y3+), and the serum stability of [111In][In(dappa)]3- was studied. Through concentration-, time-, temperature-, and pH-dependent labeling experiments, it was determined that H6dappa radiolabels most effectively at near-physiological pH for all radiometal ions. Furthermore, very rapid radiolabeling at ambient temperature was observed, as maximal radiolabeling was achieved in less than one minute. Molar activities of 29.8 GBq/mol and 28.2 GBq/mol were achieved for [111In]In3+ and [177Lu]Lu3+, respectively.

Lanthanum could act as a preventative measure against bone resorption disorders; two compounds are thoroughly investigated both in vivo and ex vivo as potential oral drug candidates., Bone density diseases such as osteoporosis affect a significant number of people worldwide. Lanthanide ions are functional mimics of calcium ions, able to substitute for Ca2+ in the bone mineral component, hydroxyapatite (HAP). Bone undergoes a continuous remodelling cycle and lanthanides can affect this cycle, exerting a positive influence on bone mineral. We have been engaged in efforts to find new lanthanide containing complexes as active agents for treatment of these diseases and have identified two lead compounds, 3-hydroxy-1,2-dimethylpyridin-4(1H)-one (Hdpp) and a phosphinate-EDTA derivative, bis[[bis(carboxymethyl)amino]-methyl]phosphinate (H5XT). In this paper, we report in vivo data for the first time for the two lead compounds. The pharmacokinetics of La(dpp)3 suggest the complex is rapidly cleared from plasma. We demonstrate that La3+ accumulates in the bone following IV dose of either La(dpp)3 or La(XT) and we have investigated the influence of each chelating ligand on the incorporation of La3+ into HAP using ITC and HAP-binding studies.

A series of novel ((CN)-N-boolean AND) cyclometallated Au(III) complexes of general formula [Au(py(b)-H)(LL2)-L-1](n+) (py(b)-H = (CN)-N-boolean AND cyclometallated 2-benzylpyridine, L-1 and L-2 being chlorido, phosphane or glucosethiolato ligands, n = 0 or 1) have been synthesized and fully characterized using different techniques, including NMR, IR and far-IR, mass spectrometry, as well as elemental analysis. The crystal structure of one compound has been solved using X-ray diffraction methods. All compounds were tested in vitro in five human cancer cell lines including the lung, breast, colon and ovarian cancer cells. For comparison purposes, all compounds were also tested in a model of healthy human cells from the embryonic kidney. Notably, all new compounds were more toxic than their cyclometallated precursor bearing two chlorido ligands, and the derivative bearing one phosphane ligand presented the most promising toxicity profile in our in vitro screening, displaying a p53 dependent activity in colorectal cancer HCT116 cells. Finally, for the first time (CN)-N-boolean AND cyclometallated gold(III) complexes were shown to be potent inhibitors of the zinc finger protein PARP-1, involved in the mechanism of cisplatin resistance.