Peptide-Based [⁶⁸Ga]Ga Labeled PET Tracer for Tumor Imaging by Targeting Tumor-Associated Macrophages

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are known to promote cancer development and metastasis. In this study, a TAMs-targeting peptide named M2pep was selected to investigate the feasibility of [68Ga]Ga-labeled M2pep as a noninvasive probe in targeted TAMs imaging. The peptide M2pep was conjugated with 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA) and radiolabeled with 68Ga. The cellular uptake and binding assay were assessed in M2 macrophages and in the B16F10 cell line. Micro-PET imaging and a biodistribution study were performed on B16F10 tumor-bearing mice. High radiochemical purity [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-M2pep (>95%) was prepared and was stabilized in saline and bovine serum at 37 °C for 2 h. In vitro studies demonstrated high uptake of [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-M2pep in M2 macrophages, which was effectively blocked by the “cold” M2pep (free peptide). The micro-PET imaging and biodistribution study revealed that [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-M2pep reached the tumor site rapidly and showed high accumulation in the tumor at 1 h post-injection. In addition, the probe was rapidly cleared from the blood and mainly excreted via the kidneys, resulting in a high tumor/background ratio. Preclinical studies have shown that [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-M2pep specifically targets TAMs and might be a promising molecular probe for the noninvasive visualization of TAMs expression.