Doxorubicin, a well-established chemotherapeutic agent, is known to accumulate in the cell nucleus. By using ICP-MS, we show that the conjugation of two small organometallic rhenium complexes to this structural motif results in a significant redirection of the conjugates from the nucleus to the mitochondria. Despite this relocation, the two bioconjugates display excellent toxicity toward HeLa cells. In addition, we carried out a preliminarily investigation of aspects of cytotoxicity and present evidence that the conjugates disrupt the mitochondrial membrane potential, are strong inhibitors of human Topoisomerase II, and induce apoptosis. Such derivatives may enhance the therapeutic index of the aggressive parent drug and overcome drug resistance by influencing nuclear and mitochondrial homeostasis.

We present the combination of the clinically well-proven chemotherapeutic agent, Doxorubicin, and (99m)Tc, an Auger and internal conversion electron emitter, into a dual-action agent for therapy. Chemical conjugation of Doxorubicin to (99m)Tc afforded a construct which autonomously ferries a radioactive payload into the cell nucleus. At this site, damage is exerted by dose deposition from Auger radiation. The (99m)Tc-conjugate exhibited a dose-dependent inhibition of survival in a selected panel of cancer cells and an in vivo study in healthy mice evidenced a biodistribution which is comparable to that of the parent drug. The homologous Rhenium conjugate was found to effectively bind to DNA, inhibited human Topoisomerase II, and exhibited cytotoxicity in vitro. The collective in vitro and in vivo data demonstrate that the presented metallo-conjugates closely mimic native Doxorubicin.

A new concept for the synthesis of dual-functionalized technetium (Tc) compounds is presented, on the basis of the reactivity of fac-{Tc(VII)O(3)}(+) complexes. The concept combines the "classical" bifunctional chelator (BFC) approach with the new ligand centered labeling strategy of fac-{TcO(3)}(+) complexes with alkenes ((3 + 2)-cycloaddition approach). To evidence this concept, fac-{(99)TcO(3)}(+) model complexes containing functionalized 1,4,7-triazacyclononane (tacn) derivatives N-benzyl-2-(1,4,7-triazonan-1-yl)acetamide (tacn-ba) and 2,2',2″-(1,4,7-triazonane-1,4,7-triyl)triacetic acid (nota·3H) were synthesized and characterized. Whereas [(99)TcO(3)(tacn-ba)](+) [2](+) can be synthesized following a established oxidation procedure starting from the Tc(V) complex [(99)TcO(glyc)(tacn-ba)](+) [1](+), a new synthetic pathway for the synthesis of [(99)TcO(3)(nota)](2-) [5](2-) had to be developed, starting from [(99)Tc(nota·3H)(CO)(3)](+) [4](+) and using sodium perborate tetrahydrate (NaBO(3)·4H(2)O) as oxidizing reagent. While [(99)TcO(3)(nota)](2-) [5](2-) is a very attractive candidate for the development of trisubstituted novel multifunctional radioprobes, (3 + 2)-cycloaddition reactions of [(99)TcO(3)(tacn-ba)](+) [2](+) with 4-vinylbenzenesulfonate (styrene-SO(3)(-)) demonstrated the suitability of monosubstituted tacn derivatives for the new mixed "BFC-(3 + 2)-cycloaddition" approach. Kinetic studies of this reaction lead to the conclusion that the alteration of the electronic structure of the nitrogen donors by, e.g., alkylation can be used to tune the rate of the (3 + 2)-cycloaddition.

Radiolabeling allows noninvasive imaging by single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) or positron emission tomography (PET) for assessing the biodistribution of nanostructures. Herein, the synthesis of a new coating ligand for gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and quantum dots (QDs) is reported. This ligand is multifunctional; it combines the metal chelate with conjugating functions to biological vectors. The concept allows the coupling of any targeting function to the chelator; an example for the prostate specific membrane antigen is given. Derivatized NPs can directly be labeled in one step with [(99m) Tc(OH2 )3 (CO)3 ](+) . AuNPs in particular are highly stable, a prerequisite for in vivo studies excluding misinterpretation of the biodistribution data. AuNPs with differing sizes (7 and 14 nm core diameter) were administered intravenously into nude NMRI mice bearing LNCaP xenografts. MicroSPECT images show for both probes rapid clearance from the blood pool through the hepatobiliary pathway. The 7 nm AuNPs revealed a significantly higher bone uptake than the 14 nm AuNPs. The high affinity towards bone mineral is further confirmed in vitro with hydroxyapatite.

Doxorubicin is a clinical benchmark drug, which is applied in the treatment of numerous cancers. Known for its accumulation in the nucleus and ability to intercalate into DNA, it targets quickly dividing i.e. hypermitotic cells. Through this mechanism, it could be an ideal structural motif for a new class of imaging agents, given that the new entity approximates the in vitro profile of the parent drug. Here we describe design, synthesis and biological activity of a small array of Doxorubicin-metalloconjugates (M = (99m)Tc, Re). We demonstrate that the conjugates preferably accumulate in the nuclear compartment, tightly bind to DNA and retain an appreciable cytotoxicity. Moreover, the Re conjugates effectively act as inhibitors of the human Topoisomerase II enzyme, which is the widely accepted mechanism of action of the parent drug. Since the conjugates effectively mimic the in vitro behavior of native Doxorubicin, the (99m)Tc compounds are prospective imaging agents.