¹⁸F-Radiolabeling and In Vivo Analysis of SiFA-Derivatized Polymeric Core-Shell Nanoparticles

Nanoparticles represent the most widely studied drug delivery systems targeting cancer. Polymeric nanoparticles can be easily generated through a microemulsion polymerization. Herein, the synthesis, radiolabeling, and in vivo evaluation of nanoparticles (NPs) functionalized by an organosilicon fluoride acceptor (SiFA) are reported which can be radiolabeled without further chemical modifications. Four nanoparticles in the sub-100 nm range with distinct hydrodynamic diameters of 20 nm (NP1), 33 nm (NP2), 45 nm (NP3), and 72 nm (NP4), respectively, were synthesized under size-controlled conditions. The SiFA-labeling building block acted as an initiator for the polymerization of polymer P1. The nanoparticles were radiolabeled with fluorine-18 (¹⁸F) through simple isotopic exchange (IE) and analyzed in vivo in a murine mammary tumor model (EMT6). The facile ¹⁸F radiolabeling SiFA methodology, performed in ethanol under mild reaction conditions, gave radiochemical yields (RCYs) of 19-26% and specific activities (SA) of 0.2-0.3 GBq/mg. Based on preclinical PET analysis, the tumor uptake and clearance profiles were analyzed depending on particle size. The nanoparticle size of 33 nm showed the highest tumor accumulation of SUV_mean 0.97 (= 4.4%ID/g) after 4 h p.i. through passive diffusion based on the Enhanced Permeability and Retention (EPR) effect. Overall, this approach exhibits a simple, robust, and reliable synthesis of ¹⁸F radiolabeled polymeric nanoparticles with a favorable in vivo evaluation profile. This approach represents a straightforward synthetically accessible alternative to produce radiolabeled nanoparticles without any further surface modification to attach a radioisotope.