Preparation and evaluation of 186/188Re-labeled antibody (A7) for radioimmunotherapy with rhenium(I) tricarbonyl core as a chelate site

Abstract

Objective: Rhenium is one of the most valuable elements for internal radiotherapy because 186Re and 188Re have favorable physical characteristics. However, there are problems when proteins such as antibodies are used as carriers of 186/188Re. Labeling methods that use bifunctional chelating agents such as MAG3 require the conjugation of the 186/188Re complex to protein after radiolabeling with the bifunctional chelating agent. These processes are complicated. Therefore, we planned the preparation by a simple method and evaluation of a stable 186/188Re-labeled antibody. For this purpose, we selected 186/188Re(I) tricarbonyl complex as a chelating site. In this study, A7 (an IgG1 murine monoclonal antibody) was used as a model protein. 186/188Re-labeled A7 was prepared by directly reacting a 186/188Re(I) tricarbonyl precursor, [186/188Re(CO)3(H2O)3]+, with A7. We then compared the biodistribution of 186/188Re-labeled A7 in tumor-bearing mice with 125I-labeled A7. Methods: For labeling A7, [186/188Re(CO)3(H2O)3]+ was prepared according to a published procedure. 186/188Re-labeled A7 (186/188Re-(CO)3-A7) was prepared by reacting [186/188Re(CO)3(H2O)3]+ with A7 at 43°C for 2 h. Biodistribution experiments were performed by the intravenous administration of 186/188Re-(CO)3-A7 solution into tumor-bearing mice. Results: 186Re-(CO)3-A7 and 188Re-(CO)3-A7 were prepared with radiochemical yields of 23 and 28%, respectively. After purification with a PD-10 column, 186/188Re-(CO)3-A7 showed a radiochemical purity of over 95%. In biodistribution experiments, 13.1 and 13.2% of the injected dose/g of 186Re-(CO)3-A7 and 188Re-(CO)3-A7, respectively, accumulated in the tumor at 24-h postinjection, and the tumor-to-blood ratios were over 2.0 at the same time point. Meanwhile, uptake of 125I-A7 in the tumor was almost the same as that of 186/188Re-(CO)3-A7 at 24-h postinjection. Blood clearances of 186/188Re-(CO)3-A7 were faster than those of 125I-A7. Conclusion: 186/188Re-labeled A7 showed high uptakes in the tumor. However, further modification of the labeling method would be necessary to improve radiochemical yields and their biodistribution. © 2009 The Japanese Society of Nuclear Medicine