title: 99mTc-labelled human serum transferrin for tumour imaging: an in vitro and in vivo study of the complex.
abstract: This pilot study reports the uptake of 99mTc-transferrin by MCF7 cells and the biodistribution of the complex in mice bearing MCF7 tumours. Human serum holo-transferrin was labelled with 99mTc using pre-reduction with 2-mercaptoethanol. The uptake of the complex by MCF7 breast tumour cells, which was found to be competitively inhibited by the presence of unlabelled transferrin, reached a plateau within 30 min. Two groups of xenografted mice with small and large tumours, respectively, were injected with the complex, and the uptake was followed for up to 24 h post-administration using a dedicated gamma camera. The mean tumour uptake values, determined after dissection, in the two groups of mice were 6% (small tumours) and 1.7% (large tumours) of the injected dose per gram of tissue, with mean tumour/blood ratios of 2.7 and 1.7, respectively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, UK. t.smith@biomed.abdn.ac.uk
authors.forename: Tim A D
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Alan C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Perkins
authors.forename: Paul H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Walton
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D015902:Gamma Cameras; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008623:Mercaptoethanol / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D010865:Pilot Projects; D016719:Radioimmunodetection / Q000379:methods*; D013667:Technetium; D013997:Time Factors; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014168:Transferrin / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D014168:Transferrin; C110714:holotransferrin; D008623:Mercaptoethanol; D013667:Technetium