Propylene cross-bridged macrocyclic bifunctional chelator: A new design for facile bioconjugation and robust ⁶⁴cu complex stability

The first macrocyclic bifunctional chelator incorporating propylene cross-bridge was efficiently synthesized from cyclam in seven steps. After the introduction of an extra functional group for facile conjugation onto the propylene cross-bridge, the two carboxylic acid pendants could contribute to strong coordination of Cu(II) ions, leading to a robust Cu complex. The cyclic RGD peptide conjugate of PCB-TE2A-NCS was prepared and successfully radiolabeled with ⁶⁴Cu ion. The radiolabeled peptide conjugate was evaluated in vivo through a biodistribution study and animal PET imaging to demonstrate high tumor uptake with low background.