J. Rio

Hypoxia-induced redox alterations and their correlation with 99mTc-MIBI and 99mTc-HL-91 uptake in colon cancer cells

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common malignancies in the Western world and is an example of a solid tumour in which hypoxia is a common feature and develops because of the inability of the vascular system to supply adequate amounts of oxygen to growing tumours. Hypoxia effects on tumour cell biology can be detected and characterized using different methods. The use of imaging with gamma-emitting radionuclides to detect hypoxic tissue was first suggested by Chapman in 1979 [N Engl J Med 301 (1979) 1429-1432]. (99m)Tc-4,9-diaza-3,3,10,10-tetramethyldodecan-2,11-dione dioxime, also known as (99m)Tc-HL-91, has been among the most studied hypoxia markers. The objective of this study was to correlate the uptake of (99m)Tc-HL-91 and (99m)Tc-MIBI in colon cancer cells under normoxic and hypoxic conditions and to compare this information with some parameters such as oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction of the cells analyzed by flow cytometry. Our results show that the in vitro (99m)Tc-HL-91 uptake is higher in hypoxic conditions, which is confirmed by the decreased uptake of (99m)Tc-MIBI. Flow cytometry results demonstrate that hypoxic conditions used are not enough to induce cellular death, but are responsible for the alterations in the intracellular redox environment, namely, increase of ROS production, proteic pimonidazol-derived adduct formation and alteration in the mitochondrial membrane permeability. Therefore, these results confirm that (99m)Tc-HL-91 is a radiopharmaceutical with favourable characteristics for detecting hypoxia.

MDR modulation in colorectal adenocarcinoma cell lines: kinetic studies using 99mTc-sestamibi

Multidrug resistance (MDR) represents one of the major setbacks to chemotherapy and can occur due to the overexpression of efflux pumps as P-glycoprotein (Pgp), multiple resistance-related protein 1 (MRP1) and lung resistance-related protein (LRP). Verapamil, a substrate for Pgp, modulates its activity. L-buthionine-sulfoximine (BSO) can be used as blocker for MRP1. In this study we aim to compare transport kinetics for sensitive and resistant human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell lines, in the presence and absence of verapamil and BSO, through 99mTc-Sestamibi. Pgp, MRP1 and LRP expression was evaluated in resistant (LS1034) and sensitive (WiDr) human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell lines using flow-cytometry. Western blot was also used to analyze Pgp expression. Cellular transport kinetics was assessed in the presence and absence of verapamil and BSO. Retention studies were performed after cell incubation with those drugs, for different time intervals (10 and 60 minutes) and concentrations (10, 25, 50 and 100 µM), using 99mTc-Sestamibi. Pgp expression was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in resistant cells, although LRP was also expressed. Western blotting analysis confirmed flow-cytometry results. 99mTc-Sestamibi retention percentage was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the resistant cell line for all time-points considered. In resistant cells incubated with MDR modulators there were statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) among the modulators used but only for the first minutes after incubation with the radiotracer. The data obtained suggest that these modulators should be used immediately before the cytotoxic drugs are administrated.