Technetium-99m-labeled monoclonal antibodies: influence of technetium-99m binding sites.
A number of 99mTc-labeled monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) are being evaluated for diagnostic applications. Preparations are carried out using both direct and indirect (bifunctional chelating agent, BFCA) labeling procedures in which nonspecific 99mTc binding has been postulated.


METHODS
By using the ascorbic acid (AA) reduction mediated direct labeling procedure and diaminotetrathiol (N2S4) as a BFCA method, we examined the role of specific binding sites and aliphatic E amino groups of lysine as nonspecific binding sites for 99mTc.


RESULTS
Labeling yields for the direct and N2S4 "regular" preparations averaged 73% +/- 2.8% and 91% +/- 2%, for the "specific" preparations, 60% +/- 3.5% and 75% +/- 2% and for the "nonspecific" preparations 13% +/- 1.0% and 16% +/- 1% respectively. All preparations were evaluated in tumor-bearing mice. The control and specific preparations permitted excellent scintigraphic visualization of tumors; the percentages of specific preparations in the tumors being 2.1% +/- 0.5% and 3.1% +/- 0.4%, respectively. With nonspecific preparations, tumors were not visualized and the percentages of administered radioactivity per gram of tumor were only 0.9% +/- 0.2% and 0.9% +/- 0.3%, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
In these 99mTc labeling procedures, the amino group-mediated nonspecific binding of 99mTc to Mabs can be as high as 16% and contributes to increased liver uptake and decreased tumor uptake of radioactivity.
John
E
E
Dept. of Radiation Oncology and Nuclear Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA 19107.
Thakur
M L
ML
Wilder
S
S
Alauddin
M M
MM
Epstein
A L
AL
D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001665:Binding Sites; D018236:Carcinoma, Embryonal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism; D002614:Chelating Agents; D005029:Ethylenediamines; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D016719:Radioimmunodetection / Q000379:methods*; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds; D013667:Technetium
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D002614:Chelating Agents; D005029:Ethylenediamines; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds; C068737:tetrakis(2-mercaptoethyl)ethylenediamine; D013667:Technetium