Gemfibrozil derivatives as activators of soluble guanylyl cyclase - A structure-activity study.

Previous studies demonstrated that anti-hyperlipidemic drug gemfibrozil acts as NO- and heme-independent activator of NO receptor soluble guanylyl cyclase. A series of new gemfibrozil derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for sGC activation. The structure-activity relationship study identified the positions in gemfibrozil's scaffold that are detrimental for sGC activation and those that are amendable for optimizing modifications. Compared with gemfibrozil, compounds 7c and 15b were more potent activators of cGMP-forming activity of purified sGC and exhibited enhanced relaxation of preconstricted mouse thoracic aorta rings. These studies established the overall framework needed for futher improvement of sGC activators based on gemfibrozil scaffold.

Synthesis and evaluation of 18F-PTTCO-Cys40-Exendin-4 for PET imaging of ectopic insulinomas in rodents.

A major limitation in the development of radiolabeled Exendin-4 analogues (short half-life isotopes) is an inability to efficiently and rapidly separate final products from precursors. This is important as lack of purity in the final product decreases probe efficiency. The purpose of this study was to develop a method to prepare the high-purity imaging reagent [18F] PTTCO-Cys40-Exendin-4. To accomplish this, magnetic TCO-beads were incubated with the crude product to remove unlabeled Exendin-4. In rodents pre-treatment with purified [18F] PTTCO-Cys40-Exendin-4 (~1.85 MBq) allowed precise microPET imaging of ectopic insulinomas. Moreover, analogue uptake was successfully blocked by administering non-labelled "cold" Exendin-4. Biodistribution data revealed that [18F] PTTCO-Cys40-Exendin-4 accumulated specifically in GLP-1R-enriched insulinomas in mice, confirming results obtained using miroPET. Investigation of [18F] PTTCO-Cys40-Exendin-4 as a tracer to image portal vein-transplanted pancreatic islets is proceeding in animals.

A Feasible Method for Quantifying Living Pancreatic Human Islets in Murine Livers Posttransplantation by Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy.

BACKGROUND: Current histological methods cannot accurately determine the survival rate of human pancreatic islets following portal vein infusion. This is due, in part, to the low number of infused islets relative to the whole liver. In this study, we assessed the ability of confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) to track human islets posttransplantation. METHODS: Immunodeficient mice were transplanted with human islets. Following engraftment, animals were euthanized, livers procured, and human islet ß cells immunofluorescently labeled with an insulin-specific antibody and evaluated by CLSM. A calibration curve comparing the area of insulin + hepatic islet ß cells to the number of human islets collected was developed. Levels of human C-peptide were measured in transplant recipients to determine islet function. RESULTS: The short-term survival rate of islet transplants was defined as y = 0.0422x + 2.7008, in which x is human islet number and y is liver islet ß cell area. Employing CLSM, human islets were detected in immunofluorescent labeled murine liver tissue sections posttransplantation. The ß cell-relative area of human islets in 500 islet equivalent (IEQ) specimens was 20.21 ± 1.16 mm and in 1000 IEQ specimens 39.4 ± 2.23 mm posttransplantation. Human islet posttransplant survival rates were 82.9 ± 5.50% (500 IEQ group) and 86.9 ± 5.28% (1000 IEQ group). CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that CLSM can be employed to quantify and characterize pancreatic human islets after transplantation to murine livers.

Imaging pancreatic islet cells by positron emission tomography.

It was estimated that every year more than 30000 persons in the United States - approximately 80 people per day - are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D). T1D is caused by autoimmune destruction of the pancreatic islet (ß cells) cells. Islet transplantation has become a promising therapy option for T1D patients, while the lack of suitable tools is difficult to directly evaluate of the viability of the grafted islet over time. Positron emission tomography (PET) as an important non-invasive methodology providing high sensitivity and good resolution, is able to accurate detection of the disturbed biochemical processes and physiological abnormality in living organism. The successful PET imaging of islets would be able to localize the specific site where transplanted islets engraft in the liver, and to quantify the level of islets remain alive and functional over time. This information would be vital to establishing and evaluating the efficiency of pancreatic islet transplantation. Many novel imaging agents have been developed to improve the sensitivity and specificity of PET islet imaging. In this article, we summarize the latest developments in carbon-11, fluorine-18, copper-64, and gallium-68 labeled radioligands for the PET imaging of pancreatic islet cells.