Detection of enzymatic activity by PARACEST MRI: A general approach to target a large variety of enzymes

Article abstract of DOI:10.1002/anie.200800809

(Chemical Equation Presented) Perfect timing: A "smart" pro-PARACEST agent has been designed to detect β-galactosidase activity. Upon enzymatic attack, the self-immolative benzyloxycarbamate linker bearing the enzyme-specific substrate is cleaved and yiel

Full text of DOI:10.1002/anie.200800809

Communications
DOI: 10.1002/anie.200800809
Molecular Imaging
Detection of Enzymatic Activity by PARACEST MRI: A General
Approach to Target a Large Variety of Enzymes**
Thomas Chauvin, Philippe Durand,* Mich›le Bernier, HervØ Meudal, Bich-Thuy Doan,
Fanny Noury, Bernard Badet, Jean-Claude Beloeil, and Éva Tóth*
The search for physiologically responsive diagnostic probes is
an important driving force in the current development of
contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Paramagnetic chemical exchange saturation transfer (PAR-
ACEST) agents hold promise as sensors for measuring
various parameters of their biological environment (pH,
temperature, metabolite or metal ion concentration).[1–5]
PARACEST probes are ideally suited for molecular imaging
since, as opposed to Gd3+-based MRI agents, the contrast can
be switched on and off at will.[6,7] They contain paramagneti-
cally shifted mobile protons in slow exchange with bulk water.
The irradiation of these protons affects the magnetic reso-
nance signal of water protons through the chemical exchange.
Factors influencing the exchange will have a detectable effect
on the water signal. One drawback of PARACEST imaging is
its modest sensitivity; typically millimolar concentrations of
the agent are required,[8] and PARACEST detection of target
molecules is not possible at low concentration. Enzymatic
activation of a pro-PARACEST agent can circumvent this
problem, as the transformation of a large amount of the agent
can be realized through multiple enzyme-catalyzed cycles.
Hence, PARACEST detection of enzyme activity can be
possible even at low enzyme concentrations. In this perspec-
Scheme 1. Self-immolative degradation of the enzyme-specific agents.
Bz=benzyl, dota=1,4,7,10-tetraazadodecane-N,N’,N’’,N’’’-tetraacetate.
tive, Yoo et al. have recently developed a PARACEST probe
spacer is spontaneously eliminated which results in a con-
comitant change in the PARACEST properties of the Ln3+
chelate. In contrast to the previous enzyme-responsive
agents,[9] this platform has the promise of being general and
opening the way to specifically target a large variety of
enzyme activities. While the Ln3+-chelating unit and the self-
immolative spacer can be identical for the entire family, the
appropriate choice of the substrate will ensure enzyme
specificity.
that detects caspase-3.[9,10]
Here we report the first representative of a new, versatile
platform of PARACEST agents designed for specific detec-
tion of a wide variety of enzymes. The molecular design is
based on coupling an enzyme-specific substrate to a lantha-
nide-chelating unit through
a
self-immolative spacer
(Scheme 1). After enzymatic cleavage of the substrate, the
Self-immolative units are applied in antibody- or gene-
directed enzyme prodrug therapy.[11–14] Some are based on the
intrinsic instability of benzyloxycarbamates having an elec-
tron-donating substituent in the ortho or para position. With a
benzyloxycarbamate as a self-immolative unit, the substrate
can be any enzyme-recognized moiety capable of transition-
ally reducing the electron-donating capabilities of the phenyl
substituent. In the context of MRI, Meade et al. have
reported a Gd3+ complex with a self-immolative linkage,
designed for detection of b-glucuronidase.[15]
[*] Dr. P. Durand, M. Bernier, Dr. B. Badet
Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, CNRS
Avenue de la terrasse, 91198 Gif/Yvette Cedex (France)
Fax: (+33)1-6907-7247
E-mail: philippe.durand@icsn.cnrs-gif.fr
T. Chauvin, H. Meudal, Dr. B.-T. Doan, F. Noury, Prof. J.-C. Beloeil,
Dr. É. Tóth
Centre de Biophysique MolØculaire, CNRS
Rue Charles Sadron, 45071 OrlØans Cedex2 (France)
Fax: (+33)2-3863-1517
E-mail: eva.jakabtoth@cnrs-orleans.fr
In our approach, the self-immolative unit bearing the
specifier is linked to one of the acetate arms of a Ln–dota unit
through an a-carbamoyl nitrogen. Following the enzymatic
attack and the resulting electron cascade. The electron
cascade is not self-immolative, the carbamate is cleaved and
transformed to an amine. The difference in the exchange rates
and chemical shifts of the carbamate and the amine protons
Homepage: http://cbm.cnrs-orleans.fr/projets/p_organi.html
[**] This work was financially supported by the Centre National de la
Recherche Scientifique, the Interdisciplinary program “Imagerie du
Petit Animal” (CNRS), and European network (EMIL) no. 50356. It
was performed within the European COST Action D38.
Supporting information for this article is available on the WWW
under http://www.angewandte.org or from the author.
4370
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Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2008, 47, 4370 –4372

Angewandte
Chemie
leads to a change in the PARACEST effect. To demonstrate
this, we have synthesized [Yb(dota-aBz-bGal)]À 7, which was
designed to respond to the activity of b-galactosidase, a
commonly used indicator of gene expression (Scheme 2;
details in the Supporting Information).
PARACEST spectra were recorded before and after
enzymatic reaction by applying selective saturation in 1 ppm
increments from À90 to + 90 ppm (data shown only between
À50 and 30 ppm in Figure 1). No PARACEST effect is
detectable for [Yb(dota-aBz-bGal)]À 7 although it contains a
carbamate proton. It is surprising, since amide protons of Ln3+
complexes have been largely exploited in magnetization-
transfer experiments. For carbamates, however, no proton-
exchange data are available to our knowledge. After addition
of b-galactosidase to a solution of 7 and incubation of the
mixture (typically 31 U enzyme per 0.5 mL aliquot of 20 mm
7, 378C, pH 7.5, 2 h),[16] PARACEST is observed at À16.7 and
À20.5 ppm. The enzymatic reaction on [Yb(dota-aBz-
bGal)]À 7 results in the self-immolative destruction of the
spacer and yields [Yb(dota-NH2)]À 8 (Scheme 1), as proved
by LC-MS analysis of the reaction mixture following enzy-
matic cleavage. Hence we assigned the observed PARACEST
effect to the two slowly exchanging, magnetically nonequiva-
lent amine protons. Indeed, after enzymatic cleavage, two
new signals appeared at À16.7 and À20.5 ppm in the 1H NMR
spectrum of the reaction mixture, while the peak at around
À16 ppm, which we attributed to the carbamate proton of 7,
disappeared (see Figure S3 in the Supporting Information). It
is worth mentioning that under certain conditions, typically at
high enzyme and substrate concentrations, the reactive
quinone methide that is formed during the degradation of
the spacer can react with [Yb(dota-NH2)]À 8 instead of water.
This side reaction is practically abolished in the presence of
carrier proteins like bovine serum albumin, as observed for
the Gd analogue (see the Supporting Information). In
addition, the enzymatic cleavage becomes faster when
serum albumin is present. [Yb(dota-NH2)]À 8 was also
synthesized independently, and a PARACEST effect similar
Figure 1. a) PARACEST spectra of [Yb(dota-aBz-bGal)]À 7 before and
after reaction with b-galactosidase (pH 7.5 or 7.2). The spectra were
acquired on a Bruker Avance 500 MHz NMR spectrometer with a
continuous-wave saturation pulse of 31 mT for 3 s. cYbL =20 mm, 378C.
b) Kinetics of enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis of 7 monitored by means of
the intensity of the water signal, with selective saturation at
À16.7 ppm.
to that observed after enzymatic cleavage of [Yb(dota-aBz-
bGal)]À 7 was also detected (see the Supporting Information).
As amino protons usually undergo fast exchange, obser-
vation of a PARACEST effect is not expected. The slow
proton exchange on [Yb(dota-NH2)]À 8 is likely related to the
remarkably low protonation constant of the noncoordinating
exocyclic NH2 group. Indeed, logKH = 5.12 Æ 0.01 was deter-
mined by pH potentiometry on the Gd3+ analogue of 8,
[Gd(dota-NH2)]À (KH = [HL]/[LÀ][H+]). The decrease of
logKH by roughly four orders of magnitude relative to typical
values for amines is a consequence of the metal coordination
of the neighboring carboxylate oxygen and endocyclic nitro-
gen atoms. Although logKH can slightly differ for the Gd3+
and Yb3+ complexes, the amine in [Yb(dota-NH2)]À 8 is very
likely not protonated at the pH of the PARACEST experi-
ments (pH > 7). Thus, the contribution of the protonated
species to the proton exchange will be limited for 8. A much
slower exchange by means of direct proton abstraction from
the NH2 group is expected to be eventually effective; it is also
observed for the exocyclic amino hydrogens of neutral
adenosine.[17,18]
The pH affects saturation transfer by means of the pH
dependence of the proton exchange. The observed PARAC-
EST effect is the greatest at about pH 7.4, with a sharp
decrease with decreasing pH and a smaller decrease in the
basic region. We note that the pH effect is not identical on the
two amine protons, as it was previously reported for the two
NH2 protons of an Yb3+ dota-tetraamide complex (see
Figure S5 in the Supporting Information).[7]
The PARACEST effect also makes it possible to monitor
the kinetics of the enzymatic cleavage. As an example, we
measured the time-dependency of the Mz/M0 values in a
20 mm solution of [Yb(dota-aBz-bGal)]À 7 (0.5 mL) after
addition of 31 U of b-galactosidase. An exponential fit of the
normalized Mz/M0 values as a function of the incubation time
resulted in the rate constant kobs = 1.7 ” 10À4 sÀ1 (t1/2 = 68 min;
Figure 1). This corresponds to a rate of 4 ” 10À5 mmolsÀ1 UÀ1,
which is slightly higher than the rate previously reported for a
Scheme 2. Synthesis of [Yb(dota-aBz-bGal)]À 7. a) 1. a-d-galactopyra-
nosyl bromide, Ag2O, CH3CN (60%), 2. NaBH4, iPrOH/CH3Cl (78%);
b) 1. pNO2PhOCOCl, Pyr, EtOAc(93%), 2. methyl l-serine, Et3N
(84%); c) 1. Pb(OAc)4, EtOAc(90%), b) Et 3DO3A, TBD resin,
c) NaOH pH 12, EtOH/H2O, d) YbCl3, pH 6.5 (22% overall yield).
Et3DO3A=1,4,7-tris(ethoxycarbonylmethyl)-1,4,7,10-tetrazacyclo-
dodecane, Pyr=pyridine.
similar
self-immolative
bGal
system
(7.4 ”
10À6 mmolsÀ1 UÀ1).[19] Recently, enzymatically activated pro-
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4371

Communications
Experimental Section
MRI saturation transfer experiments were performed at 400 MHz,
294 K on a Bruker Biospec 94/20 USR horizontal spectrometer
equipped with 950 mTmÀ1 gradients, using a Bruker 35 mm shielded
linear birdcage RF probe and running Paravision 4 software. Two
multi-spin-echo RARE images (TR/TE 6 s/14 ms, na = 1, RARE
factor= 8, FOV= 3 cm, resolution matrix 256 ” 256, slice thickness
1 mm, duration 3 min) with the two offsets (À16 and + 16 ppm) of
the irradiation MT pulse were recorded. The irradiation pulse was
rectangularly shaped with a duration of 3 s and power of 25 mT.
Figure 2. 400 MHz spin echo images of a phantom containing three
tubes filled with water or a solution of 20 mm 7À before and after
enzymatic reaction; pH 7.5. a) Image with an irradiating continuous-
wave pulse (3 s 25 mT) centered off resonance (16 ppm). b) Image
recorded with an irradiating pulse centered on resonance (À16 ppm).
The arrow shows the PARACEST effect.
Received: February 19, 2008
Published online: May 2, 2008
Keywords: imaging agents · lanthanides · PARACEST ·
.
proton exchange · saturation transfer
drugs of doxorubicin containing a self-immolative benzyloxy-
carbamate linker with a galactose moiety have been also
reported to have a slower hydrolysis (t1/2 = 217 min).[20] For
the cleavage of EgadMe, Meade et al. reported a Vmax of 2.4 ”
10À6 mmolsÀ1 UÀ1.[21]
To further demonstrate the utility of the complex, we
acquired MR images of a solution of 20 mm [Yb(dota-aBz-
bGal)]À 7 before and after reaction with b-galactosidase, by
applying a selective saturation at + 16 ppm (off resonance) or
À16 ppm (on resonance; Figure 2). The intensity of the signal
is clearly weaker after enzymatic reaction. By subtracting the
MR images with saturation offset of À16 ppm from the MR
images with saturation offset of + 16 ppm, we calculate a 29%
([MoffÀMon]/Moff) decrease in the water MR signal for the
sample containing the enzymatically cleaved complex, while
no significant change is obtained for the tubes with the
noncleaved agent (1.8%) or with water (0.7%).
In conclusion, we have synthesized a first representative
of a new family of molecular imaging agents that could offer
the possibility of specific PARACEST detection for a large
variety of enzymatic activities. This platform has several
positive features: the substrate is at the extremity of a spacer
that facilitates the enzymatic cleavage, and the PARACEST
properties are not affected by the variation of the substrate.
Since the PARACEST effect is observed after enzymatic
activation, it can be optimized once for the whole family. The
same LnIII chelate and spacer will be applied for the detection
of diverse enzymes by varying the substrate. The system
works as a switch off/on probe, which can be a further
advantage in practical in vivo or in vitro applications. Finally,
these molecules are also prospective probes for the high- or
medium-throughput screening of enzyme inhibitors by MRI.
Most of currently used screening protocols are based on
radiometric or spectrophotometric detection. Radiometric
methods are hampered by the high cost and safety problems,
while the spectrophotometric methods face the problem of
numerous interferences which can lead to false positive or
negative results. As MRI is much less prone to interferences,
it might represent a viable alternative in high-throughput
screening, provided that appropriate probes are available.
Moreover, since b-galactosidase is a commonly used marker
enzyme, this PARACEST system can also find application in
the area of studying gene expression.[22]
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