Prospects for the use radiolabeled hyaluronic acid as a radiopharmaceutical platform for diagnostics and visualization

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Abstract

Background. Radionuclide therapy and molecular imaging are promising areas of nuclear medicine based on the selective accumulation of radiopharmaceuticals in pathological foci. Hyaluronic acid (HA) is of particular interest as a biocompatible platform for targeted radionuclide delivery due to its binding to CD44 (cluster of differentiation 44), RHAMM (receptor for hyaluronan-mediated motility), and TRL (Toll-like receptors) overexpressed in tumor, inflammatory, and degenerative diseases.

Aim. Analysis of modern approaches for the obtaining of radiolabeled HA, radionuclides used, imaging methods and prospects for the use of hyaluronic-based matrices in the diagnosis and theranostics of diseases.

Materials and methods. The analysis of hyaluronic-based matrices data published mainly after 2020 and presented in the international scientific databases PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus and other peer-reviewed sources is carried out. Additionally, early fundamental research on the metabolism and radiotherapy of HA is reviewed.

Results. The main methods for the obtaining of radiolabeled HA, including direct and chelator-mediated labeling, as well as the most commonly used radionuclides for diagnosis and therapy, including technetium-99m, gallium-68, iodine-125, iodine-131, lutetium-177 and yttrium-90, are considered. It has been shown that due to its high biocompatibility, the presence of functional groups for modification, and the ability to selectively bind to cellular receptors, HA provides targeted accumulation of radiopharmaceuticals in tumor, inflammatory, and fibrous tissues. Special attention is paid to the methods of single-photon emission computed tomography and positron emission tomography with computed tomography, which make it possible to visualize the bio-distribution of radiolabeled hyaluronic matrices in vivo. Examples of radiopharmaceuticals based on HA containing additional therapeutic agents, including curcumin, for the realization of a synergistic theranostic effect are considered.

Conclusion. HA is a promising platform for the creation of radiopharmaceuticals due to its high biocompatibility, the possibility of chemical modification and selective interaction with receptors of pathologically altered tissues. The use of radiolabeled hyaluronic matrices opens up broad prospects for the development of personalized diagnostics, molecular imaging, and targeted radionuclide therapy.

About the authors

Anna D. Kosova

ITMO University; Saint-Petersburg State Phthisiopulmonology Research Institute, Ministry of Health of Russia

Author for correspondence.
Email: annkosova@bk.ru
ORCID iD: 0009-0003-1893-4733
Russian Federation, Build. A, 49 Kronverksky Prospekt, Saint Petersburg 197101; 2–4 Ligovsky Prospekt, Saint Petersburg 191036

Petr P. Snetkov

ITMO University; Saint-Petersburg State Phthisiopulmonology Research Institute, Ministry of Health of Russia; Kabardino-Balkarian State University named after H. M. Berbekov

Email: annkosova@bk.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-9949-5709
Russian Federation, Build. A, 49 Kronverksky Prospekt, Saint Petersburg 197101; 2–4 Ligovsky Prospekt, Saint Petersburg 191036; 173 Chernyshevskogo St., Nalchik 360004, Kabardino-Balkarian Republic

Svetlana N. Morozkina

ITMO University; Saint-Petersburg State Phthisiopulmonology Research Institute, Ministry of Health of Russia; Kabardino-Balkarian State University named after H. M. Berbekov

Email: annkosova@bk.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-0122-0251
Russian Federation, Build. A, 49 Kronverksky Prospekt, Saint Petersburg 197101; 2–4 Ligovsky Prospekt, Saint Petersburg 191036; 173 Chernyshevskogo St., Nalchik 360004, Kabardino-Balkarian Republic

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