Rhenium-188 for inhibition of human aortic smooth muscle cell proliferation

CD133+ liver cancer stem cells modulate radioresistance in human hepatocellular carcinoma

CD133 is a cancer stem-cell (CSC) marker associated with radioresistance and chemoresistance in various cancers. In the present study, CD133-expressing liver cancer cells following radiation exposure showed higher activation of MAPK/PI3K signaling pathway and reduction in reactive oxygen species levels compared to CD133- cells. The in vivo study with a xenograft model showed increased tumor formation in irradiated CD133+ cell-injected nude mice compared to the CD133- group, suggesting that CD133 contributes to radioresistance in HCC. Therefore, CD133-expressing liver cancer cells have anti-apoptotic and radioresistance properties that may be useful to improve anti-cancer treatments, including chemotherapy/radiotherapy of HCC.

In vitro comparison of the antiproliferative effects of rhenium-186 and rhenium-188 on human aortic endothelial cells

PURPOSE

Rhenium-186 ((186)Re) and rhenium-188 ((188)Re) are promising radionuclides for the inhibition of restenosis after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty or other vascular interventions. Until now the maximal dose tolerance of endothelial cells has not been clearly known.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

To characterize the effects of local irradiation treatment, human aortic endothelial cells (ECs) were incubated with different doses of (186)Re and (188)Re. Two days after plating, ECs received treatment for a period of 5 days. The total radiation doses applied were 1, 4, 8, 16, and 32 Gy. On days 1, 3, 5, 7, and 12 after initial rhenium incubation, cell growth, clonogenic activity, cell-cycle distribution, and cytoskeletal architecture were evaluated.

RESULTS

From the first day on, a dose-dependent growth inhibition was observed. Cumulative doses of ≥32 Gy caused a weak colony formation and significant alterations in the cytoskeletal architecture. An increased fraction of cells in G2/M phase was seen for cumulative radiation doses of ≥16 Gy. Interestingly, there were no significant differences between (186)Re and (188)Re.

CONCLUSION

Even for low dose rates of β particles a dose-dependent proliferation inhibition of ECs is seen. Doses beyond 32 Gy alter the cytoskeletal architecture with possibly endothelial dysfunction and late thrombosis.

Reduction of Intimal Hyperplasia withRe-188-labeled Stents in a Rabbit Model at 7and 26 Weeks: An Experimental Study

The aim of this study was to analyze the feasibility of (188)Re-labeled stents to reduce neointimal formation in a rabbit atherosclerosis model and to test the long-term effects at 7 and 26 weeks. Fifty-nine male New Zealand White rabbits were fed a 0.5% cholesterol diet for 4 weeks before balloon angioplasty and insertion of Palmaz stents in the infrarenal aorta. The animals were sacrificed 7 and 26 weeks after stent implantation. Control stents were compared with (188)Re stents: (dose 1) 11.3 +/- 1.8 MBq; (dose 2) 37.3 +/- 4.2 MBq, and (dose 3) 80.1 +/- 7.8 MBq. Each activity group consisted of a short-term (7 weeks) and a long-term group (26 weeks), resulting in a total of eight study groups. No thrombotic occlusion was observed. The neointimal formation in the control group was 2.11 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.68--6.52] mm(2) at 7 weeks and 2.10 (0.62--7.11) at 26 weeks. In the treatment groups, neointima reduction was detectable at 7 weeks [dose 1: 0.33 (0.09--1.22) mm(2); dose 2: 0.17 (0.05--0.57) mm(2); dose 3: 0.03 (0.01--0.13) mm(2)]. After 26 weeks, a catch-up of neointimal formation in the radioactive groups was most obvious in the low-dose group [dose 1: 0.80 (0.28--2.29) mm(2); dose 2: 0.18([0.06--0.52) mm(2); dose 3: 0.50 (0.17--1.42) mm(2)]. Compared to the long-term control group, neointimal reduction was still >60%. No induction of neointimal formation was observed at the edges of the stents. Radiation resulted in delayed re-endothelialization. (188)Re stents were capable to reduce intimal hyperplasia and did not cause thrombosis. The edge effect, which was the major limitation of (32)P stents, was not observed in (188)Re stents.

Different responses by cultured aortic and venous smooth muscle cells to gamma radiation

BACKGROUND

Stenosis of hemodialysis arteriovenous grafts is usually focal and caused by the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs). External radiation of the graft is a potential strategy to prevent stenosis; however, the relative responsiveness of arterial and venous SMCs to radiation is unknown.

METHODS

Human aortic and saphenous vein SMCs were cultured in a medium containing growth factors and serum and treated with 0 to 50 Gy in a gamma irradiator. At 2 to 20 days post-irradiation, cell counting, methylthiazoletetrazolium dye reduction, [(3)H]-thymidine uptake, and bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation assays were performed.

RESULTS

All assays showed that 1 to 50 Gy inhibited the proliferation of both aortic and venous SMCs in a dose-dependent manner. Importantly, venous cells were less susceptible to radiation in all assays, compared to aortic cells. At day 10, 1 to 50 Gy of radiation inhibited the increase in the number of aortic cells by 24% to 66% and venous cells by 8% to 25% (P < 0.01) (aortic vs. venous). The differences between aortic and venous cells varied among different assays and were most pronounced in the BrdU assay.

CONCLUSION

Inasmuch as myointimal hyperplasia occurs at both arterial and venous anastomoses, future strategies using radiation to prevent hemodialysis vascular access stenosis should take these differences into consideration.

Radioisotope stents

Intracoronary stent placement following PTCA improves the long-term outcome of the treated patient, but in-stent restenosis remains problematic, especially in smaller vessels and longer lesions. Intravascular brachytherapy is a rapidly evolving field of research and clinical treatment, with a number of different irradiation techniques being used clinically. Many clinical data are now available that indicate clearly that either <FONT FACE="MetaPress 7">&#110</FONT> or <FONT FACE="MetaPress 7">&#103</FONT> radiation can reduce, and hopefully cure restenosis. The combination of radiation with stents has several distinct advantages over radiation with balloon angioplasty. It should be possible to use the stent as the radioactive source, as the radioactivity levels required by a permanent implant are extremely safe (< 1/1000 of the radioactivity of the least radioactive brachytherapy catheters). Once the stent has been implanted, the procedure is complete; catheter-based brachytherapy requires a second procedure after stent implantation. Unfortunately, in many human studies of the efficacy of radioisotope stents, although an excellent result in terms of a dramatically reduced neointima was seen in the stent, the incidence of an 'edge effect', with a reduced lumen just beyond the stent-edge occurred at an unacceptable rate. The encouraging results of the 'hot ends' study, where the stent ends were made more radioactive to reduce the edge effect, coincided with even more encouraging results from sirolimus drug-eluting stents. As a result, most work on radioisotope stents for the treatment of restenosis has been abandoned. There may, however, be applications for radioisotope stents in the treatment of malignant ducts, such as the esophagus and bronchia, which could justify further study of the devices.

The standardization of 188W/188Re by 4pi beta liquid scintillation spectrometry with the CIEMAT/NIST 3H-standard efficiency tracing method

The massic activity of a solution containing 188W in equilibrium with its daughter, 188Re, has been standardized by the National Institute of Standards and Technology using 4pi beta liquid scintillation counting with efficiency tracing using the CIEMAT NIST method. Confirmatory measurements were carried out with gamma-ray spectrometry using high purity germanium detectors and a 4pi gamma NaI(Tl) system. A calibration factor of 1.68 MBq pA(-1) +/-0.03 MBq pA(-1) (expanded, k = 2, uncertainty) for the 188W in the solution was determined, along with correction factors for activity determinations using Capintec dose calibrators. A half-life value of 69.78 d +/- 0.05 d (standard uncertainty) was determined by measurement in the NIST 4pi gamma ionization chamber and is consistent with currently recommended values.

Synthesis of enantiopure oxorhenium(V) and arylimidorhenium(V) "3 + 2" Schiff base complexes. X-ray diffraction, cyclic voltammetry, UV-vis, and circular dichroism characterizations

Two new oxorhenium(V) and two new arylimidorhenium(V) complexes of the Schiff base ligands 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde-((1R,2S)-1-amino-2-indanol)imine (1) (H(2)L(1)) and 3-(1-adamantyl)-2-hydroxy-5-methylbenzaldehyde-((1R,2S)-1-amino- 2-indanol)imine (2) (H(2)L(2)) have been prepared from the reaction of the precursor Re(O)(PPh(3))(2)Cl(3), Re(NC(6)H(5))(PPh(3))(2)Cl(3), or Re(NC(6)H(4)OCH(3))(PPh(3))(2)Cl(3) and the free ligands H(2)L(1,2). The complexes Re(O)(HL(1))(L(1)) (3), Re(O)(HL(2))(L(2)) (4), Re(NC(6)H(5))(HL(1))(L(1)) (5), and Re(NC(6)H(4)OCH(3))(HL(1))(L(1)) (6) have been isolated and fully characterized by IR, (1)H NMR, circular dichroism, LRMS-FAB, and elemental analysis. All the complexes have a chiral center at rhenium. A single enantiomer is obtained in all cases. Suitable crystals of 3 and 5 were used in X-ray structural determinations. Crystal data: (3) C(32)H(27)N(2)O(5)Re.CH(2)Cl(2), orthorhombic, P2(1)2(1)2(1), a = 9.5599(16) A, b = 9.9579(16) A, c = 31.712(5) A, V = 3018.9(9) A(3), T = 100(2) K, Z = 4. (5) C(40)H(38)N(3)O(5)Re, monoclinic, P2(1), a = 9.286(3) A, b = 18.759(6) A, c = 9.957(3) A, beta = 102.817(6) degrees, V = 1691.3(10) A(3), T = 100(2) K, Z = 2. The major characteristic of these complexes is the presence of two coordination modes for the Schiff base ligands on rhenium, a tridentate ligand (noted L(1,2)) and another bidentate ligand (noted HL(1,2)). In the latter, the -OH group of the indanol is free and tilts away from the coordination sphere. X-ray structural analyses in conjunction with circular dichroism were used to assign the absolute configuration at rhenium (C). Cyclic voltammetry, UV-vis, and circular dichroism data are presented and discussed. The complexes were found to be highly stable and to resist reduction even when treated with organic phosphanes.