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Abstract: Aim: PR81 is a monoclonal antibody that binds with high affinity to MUC1 antigen that is over expressed in 80% of breast cancers. In this study, we developed a method for indirect labeling of PR81 with lutetium-177 and performed all preclinical qualifications in production of a biologic agent for radioimmunotherapy of breast cancer. Materials and Methods: The radiochemical purity and in vitro stability of 177Lu labeled PR81 was determined by instant thin layer chromatography. The immunoreactivity and cell toxicity of the complex were tested on MCF7 cell line. The biodistribution and scintigraphy studies were performed in BALB/c mice with breast tumor. Results: The radiochemical purity was 91.2±3.8% after 2 h. The in vitro stabilities in phosphate buffer and human blood serum were 83.1±3.4% and 76.2±3.6% at 96 h, respectively. The immunoreactivity of the complex was 83.4±2.4%. The cell toxicity study showed that the complex inhibited 85.2±3.4% growth of MCF7 cells at a concentration of 2500 ng/ml after 96 h. The biodistribution and scintigraphy studies showed the accumulation of the complex at the site of tumors with high sensitivity and specificity. Conclusion: The results showed that one may consider 177Lu-DOTA–PR81 as a potential radiopharmaceutical for therapy of human breast cancer, which needs further investigations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

PR81 is a monoclonal antibody that binds with high affinity to MUC1, which is over expressed on breast and other tumors. The objective of this study was to compare the two labeling methods (direct and indirect radioiodination) for application of this antibody against MUC1 as a radioimmunotherapeutical agent.Monoclonal antibody (PR81) against the tandem repeat of the core protein (MUC1) was prepared, characterized, purified, and labeled with ^{131}I using the direct (chloramin-T) and indirect (Fmoc-D-Tyr (tBu)-D-Tyr (tBu)-D-Lys (Boc)-OH (YYK) attached to N-hydroxysuccinimide as a linker between PR81 and ^{131}I) methods. The immunoreactivity of ^{131}I-PR81 and ^{131}I-TP-PR81 complexes with MUC1 (the native protein), BSA-P_{20} (a 20 amino acid corresponding the tandem repeat of MUC1) and MCF7 cell line were performed by RIA. In vitro stability of ^{131}I-PR81 and ^{131}I-YYK-peptide-PR81 complexes in human serum was determined by thin layer chromatography (TLC). Cell toxicity and in vitro internalization studies were performed with the MCF7 cell line, and the tissue biodistribution of the ^{131}I-PR81 and ^{131}I- YYK-peptide -PR81 complexes was evaluated in normal BALB/c mice at 4, 24 and 48 hrs. The labeling efficiency was determined by measuring the percentage recovery of radioactivity in the final product relative to the initial activity in the shipment vial, was found to be 59.9% ± 7.9% for direct and 50% ± 3.2% for indirect methods. ^{131}I-PR81 and ^{131}I- YYK- peptide -PR81 complexes showed high immunoreactivity towards MUC1 protein, BSA-P_{20} and MCF7 cell line. In vitro stability of the labeled products in human serum which was measured by thin layer chromatography (TLC) was found to be more than 50% over 24 hr for ^{131}I-PR81 and 70% for ^{131}I- YYK-peptide -PR81 complexes. Cell toxicity and in vitro nternalization studies showed that the ^{131}I-PR81 and ^{131}I- YYK-peptide -PR81 complexes inhibited 80% growth of the MCF7 cultured cell lines in vitro in a high concentration and up to 40% of the ^{131}I-PR81 and 60% of the ^{131}I- YYK-peptide -PR81 complexes internalized after 24 h. Biodistribution studies were performed in normal BALB/c mice at 4, 24 and 48 hrs post-injection. Thyroid and stomach levels from PR81 labeled with ^{131}I- YYK-peptide were two- to three- fold less than those with directly labeled ^{131}I-PR81, suggesting low recognition of its D-iodotyrosine residue by endogenous deiodinase. These results show that the indirect labeling was better than the indirect labeling and ^{131}I- YYK-peptide -PR81 may be considered as a promising candidate for therapy of breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radioimmunoscintigraphy (RIS) has found widespread clinical application in tumor diagnosis. The antibody (Ab) PR81 is a new murine anti-MUC1 monoclonal antibody (MAb) against human breast carcinoma. In this study a very simple, rapid and efficient method for labeling of this MAb with 99mTc, particularly suitable for development of a 'kit'is described. The reduction of Ab was performed with 2- mercaptoethanol (2-ME) at a molar ratio of 2000:1 (2-ME:MAb) and the reduced Ab was labeled with 99mTc via methylene diphosphonate (MDP) as a transchelator. The labeling efficiency which was determined by instant thin layer chromatography (ITLC) was 94.2%±2.3. Radiocolloides measured by cellulose nitrate electrophoresis were 2.5%±1.7. In vitro stability of the labeled product in human serum which was measured by gel filtration chromatography (FPLC) was 70%±5.7 over 24 hr. The integrity of labeled MAb was checked by means of SDS-PAGE and no significant fragmentation was observed. The results of the cell-binding studies showed that both labeled and unlabeled PR81 were able to compete for binding to MCF 7 cells. Biodistribution studies were performed in normal BALB/c mice at 4 and 24 hrs post-injection and no important accumulation was observed in vital organs. These results show that the new radiopharmaceutical may be considered as a promising candidate for imaging of breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aim: Trastuzumab is a monoclonal antibody that is used in treating breast cancer. We labeled this monoclonal antibody with lutetium-177 and performed in vitro quality control tests as a first step in the production of a new radiopharmaceutical. Material and Methods: Trastuzumab was labeled with lutetium-177 using DOTA as chelator. Radiochemical purity and stability in buffer and human blood serum were determined using thin layer chromatography. Immunoreactivity and toxicity of the complex were tested on MCF7 breast cancer cell line. Results: The radiochemical purity of the complex was 96±0.9%. The stabilities in phosphate buffer and in human blood serum at 96 h postpreparation were 93±1.2% and 85±3.5%, respectively. The immunoreactivity of the complex was 89±1.4%. At a concentration of 1 nM, the complex killed 70±3% of MCF7 cells. At 1.9 nM, 90±5% of the cells were killed. Conclusions: The results showed that the new complex could be considered for further evaluation in animals and possibly in humans as a new radiopharmaceutical for use in radioimmunotherapy against breast cancer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Human epithelial mucin, MUC1, is commonly overexpressed in adenocarcinoma that includes more than 80% of breast cancers. The PR81 is a murine anti-MUC1 monoclonal antibody (MAb) that was prepared against the human breast cancer. We developed an indirect method for labeling of this antibody with 99mTc in order to use the new preparation in immunoscintigraphy studies of BALB/c mice bearing breast tumors. The 99mTc–PR81 complex was prepared using the HYNIC as a chelator and tricine as a coligand. The labeling efficiency determined by instant thin-layer chromatography (ITLC) was 89.2%±4.7%, and radiocolloides measured by cellulose nitrate electrophoresis were 3.4%±0.9%. The in vitro stability of labeled product was determined at room temperature by ITLC and in human serum by gel filtration chromatography — 88.3%±4.6% and 79.8%±5.7% over 24 h, respectively. The integrity of labeled MAb was checked by means of sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and no significant fragmentation was seen. The results of cell binding studies showed that both labeled and unlabeled PR81 were able to compete for binding to MCF 7 cells. Biodistribution studies performed in female BALB/c mice with breast tumor xenografts at 4, 16 and 24 h after the 99mTc-HYNIC-PR81 injection demonstrated a specific localization of the compound at the site of tumors and minimum accumulation in non target organs. The tumor imaging was performed in BALB/c mice with breast xenograft tumors at 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32 and 36 h after the complex injection. The tumors were visualized with high sensitivity after 8 h. The findings showed that the new radiopharmaceutical is a promising candidate for radioimmunoscintigraphy of the human breast cancer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Monoclonal antibodies are routinely used as tools in immunotherapies against solid tumors. However, administration of monoclonal antibodies may cause undesired side effects due to their accumulation in non-targeted organs. Nanoliposomes of less than 200 nm can target antibodies to tumors by enhanced permeation and retention (EPR) mechanisms. To direct monoclonal antibodies to tumors, nanoliposomes encapsulating intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) as a model antibody were prepared. The liposomes had average diameters of 100 nm and encapsulation efficiencies of 31 to 46%. They showed less than 10% release in plasma at 37 °C up to seven days. The secondary and tertiary structures of liposome-encapsulated antibodies were analyzed by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. The near and far-UV spectra analyses revealed no obvious conformational changes in the structures of the encapsulated antibodies. The biodistribution of free and liposome-encapsulated iodinated antibodies was investigated in mice bearing C-26 colon carcinoma tumors. The accumulation of liposome-encapsulated antibodies in tumors was significantly greater than that of free antibodies due to the EPR effect. The PEGylated liposomes were more efficient in the delivery of antibodies to the tumor site than non-PEGylated liposomes. We conclude that administration of monoclonal antibodies in PEGylated liposomes is more efficient than administration of non-encapsulated monoclonal antibodies for solid tumor immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]