The labelling of human serum transferrin with 99mtc and a study concerning uptake of the complex by tumour cells

T. A.D. Smith, P. H. Walton*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The direct labelling of serum transferrin (sTf) with 99mTc on high-affinity binding sites, producing a complex of excellent stability, is described. The high-affinity binding sites were prepared by pre-treating sTf with 2-mercaptoethanol. For the radiolabelling step, thiourea was used as an exchange ligand and a filtration procedure used to remove 99mTc that had not complexed with the protein. RT112 bladder tumour cells incubated in the presence of labelled sTf showed a rapid initial uptake of 99mTc, reaching a plateau after about 20 min. Radiolabelling was also carried out without a pre-reduction step in an attempt to form a co-ordination complex between 99mTc and the Fe3+-binding site of sTf, analogous to that formed by Fe3+. The tumour cell uptake of sTf labelled without pre-reduction was then examined. In contrast to Fe3+ and other radio-metals co-ordinated with the Fe3+-binding site which show a continuous increase in incorporation with time, the uptake of 99mTc rapidly reached a plateau.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1085-1090
Number of pages6
JournalNUCLEAR MEDICINE COMMUNICATIONS
Volume23
Issue number11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2002

Keywords

  • Technetium
  • Thiourea
  • Transferrin
  • Tumour

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