A new microdispersed albumin derivative potentially useful for radio-guided surgery of occult breast cancer lesions

Sci Rep. 2019 Apr 4;9(1):5623. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-42014-2.

Abstract

This paper describes a new nuclear imaging agent, 2-(4-isothiocyanatobenzyl)-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid of human albumin (HAC), potentially suitable for application in the Radio-guided Occult Lesion Localization (ROLL) of non-palpable mammalian cancerous lesions, as a tool to overtake the short radio-signal half-life of the technetium-99m based radiopharmaceutical currently used. This conjugate is a microsized powder aggregate, water-insoluble between pH 3 and 8.5, obtained by conjugating the protein with the macrocyclic chelating agent DOTA through a one-pot reaction in aqueous medium. The product has been fully characterized and is stable to the thermal conditions adopted for labeling; after radiolabeling with longer half-life radionuclides such as 177Lu or 111In, it has shown radiochemical purity (RCP) >90% and resulted stable when stored in saline or plasma for 6 days at 37 °C. A μPET/CT study, performed in vivo on adult female rats, showed that the radioactivity of HAC labeled with 64Cu remained located in the mammary glands for at least 40 h, without diffusion or drainage in healthy tissues or in the lymphatic circulation. This new imaging agent might make the ROLL procedure more accessible, safe and flexible, promoting a significant time and cost reduction of this intervention. Moreover, HAC might also be used in other radio-guided surgical procedures in oncology.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Albumins / administration & dosage
  • Animals
  • Breast Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging*
  • Breast Neoplasms / pathology
  • Breast Neoplasms / surgery
  • Female
  • Heterocyclic Compounds / administration & dosage
  • Heterocyclic Compounds / chemistry*
  • Heterocyclic Compounds / pharmacology
  • Isothiocyanates / administration & dosage
  • Isothiocyanates / chemistry*
  • Isothiocyanates / pharmacology
  • Microspheres
  • Radionuclide Imaging / methods*
  • Radiopharmaceuticals
  • Rats
  • Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy / methods
  • Surgery, Computer-Assisted / methods
  • Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin / administration & dosage
  • Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin / chemistry
  • Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin / pharmacology

Substances

  • 2-(4-isothiocyanatobenzyl)-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane tetraacetic acid
  • Albumins
  • Heterocyclic Compounds
  • Isothiocyanates
  • Radiopharmaceuticals
  • Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin