Kong FL, Zhang Y, Young DP, Yu DF, Yang DJ. Development of (99m)Tc-EC-tyrosine for early detection of breast cancer tumor response to the anticancer drug melphalan.
Acad Radiol 2013;
20:41-51. [PMID:
22963724 DOI:
10.1016/j.acra.2012.08.005]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2012] [Revised: 08/01/2012] [Accepted: 08/01/2012] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES
Radiolabeled tyrosine analogues that have been successfully used in tumor imaging accumulate in tumor cells via an upregulated L-type amino acid transporter system. The anticancer drug melphalan is an L-type amino acid transporter substrate. Therefore, radiolabeled tyrosine analogues may have great potential in evaluating treatment responses to melphalan. In this study, a (99m)Tc-labeled tyrosine analogue, (99m)Tc tyrosine using N,N'-ethylene-di-L-cysteine (EC) as a chelator, was developed and its potential for noninvasively assessing tumors' early response to melphalan determined.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
EC-tyrosine was synthesized in a three-step procedure and labeled with (99m)Tc. To assess cellular uptake kinetics, the percentage uptake of (99m)Tc-EC-tyrosine in the rat breast cancer cell line 13762 was measured. Planar imaging was performed in rats with 13762 cell-derived tumors. To determine the transport mechanisms of (99m)Tc-EC-tyrosine, a competitive inhibition study using L-tyrosine as an inhibitor was performed in vitro and in vivo. To assess tumors' response to melphalan, tumor-bearing rats were treated with different doses of melphalan, and planar imaging was performed 0 and 3 days after treatment. Immunohistochemical analyses were conducted to determine expressions of L-type amino acid transporter 1 and cellular proliferation marker Ki-67.
RESULTS
L-tyrosine significantly inhibited (99m)Tc-EC-tyrosine uptake in vitro and in vivo. Tumor volume decreased in a dose-dependent manner with melphalan, and tumor/muscle ratios of (99m)Tc-EC-tyrosine were significantly reduced in treated groups. Immunohistochemical data indicated that about 70% of tumor cells in the melphalan-treated groups underwent apoptosis, and the changes in tumor/muscle ratios reflected the decreased percentage of viable cells in treated tumors.
CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that (99m)Tc-EC-tyrosine has great potential for monitoring tumor response to melphalan in breast tumor-bearing rats.
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