Preclinical characterization of 18F-D-FPHCys, a new amino acid-based PET tracer

Abstract

Purpose The imaging potential of a new 18F-labelled methionine derivative, S-(3-[18F]fluoropropyl)-D-homocysteine ( 18F-D-FPHCys), and its selectivity for amino acid transporter subtypes were investigated in vitro and by imaging of human tumour xenografts. Methods Expression of members of the system L (LAT isoforms 1-4 and 4F2hc) and ASCT (ASCT isoforms 1 and 2) amino acid transporter subclasses were assessed by quantitative real-time PCR in four human tumour models, including A431 squamous cell carcinoma, PC3 prostate cancer, and Colo 205 and HT-29 colorectal cancer lines. The first investigations for the characterization of 18F-D-FPHCys were in vitro uptake studies by comparing it with [1-..