Abstract
This study investigated the anti-cancer potential of a near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) molecule conjugated with Cetuximab (Cetuximab-NIRF) in six-week-old female BALB/c athymic (nu+/nu+) nude mice. A431 cells were cultured and injected into the animals to induce solid tumors. Paclitaxel (30 mg/kg body weight (BW)), Cetuximab (1 mg/kg BW), and Cetuximab-NIRF (0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg BW) were intraperitoneally injected twice a week into the A431 cell xenografts of the nude mice. Changes in BW, tumor volume and weight, fat and lean mass, and diameter of the peri-tumoral blood vessel were determined after two weeks. Tumor volumes and weights were significantly decreased in the Cetuximab-NIRF (1 mg/kg BW) group compared with the control group (P<0.001). Lean mass and total body water content were also conspicuously reduced in the Cetuximab-NIRF (1 mg/kg BW) group compared with the vehicle control group. Peri-tumoral blood vessel diameters were very thin in the Cetuximab-NIRF groups compared with those of the paclitaxel group. These results indicate that the conjugation of Cetuximab with NIRF does not affect the anti-cancer potential of Cetuximab and NIRF can be used for molecular imaging in cancer treatments.
Highlights
Investigation of the many fundamental processes in life sciences requires straightforward tools for fast, sensitive, reliable, and reproducible detection of biomolecular interaction among various molecular or ionic species
We investigated the anti-cancer effect of Cetuximab conjugated with NIFR on A431 tumor xenografts in nude mice
The present study investigated the antitumoral effect of Cetuximab conjugated to a molecular imaging material for targeted treatment of tumor cells compared with the original biological-activities of Cetuximab
Summary
Investigation of the many fundamental processes in life sciences requires straightforward tools for fast, sensitive, reliable, and reproducible detection of biomolecular interaction among various molecular or ionic species. One of the best suited and most popular methods to meet these challenges is the use of photoluminescence or fluorescence techniques in conjunction with functional dyes and labels [13,14]. The recent explosion of nanotechnology, leading to the development of materials with submicrometer-sized dimensions and unique optical properties, has opened up new horizons for fluorescence detection [15]. Molecular imaging can non-invasively detect molecular changes during cancer treatment, which occur earlier than anatomical changes, such as decrease in tumor volume [16]. Compared with positron emission tomography and single-photon-emission computed tomography, optical imaging techniques, such as near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging, are limited in the depth of tissue penetration and are not routine clinical modalities. NIRF does not require the use of radioactive materials. Changes in tumor volume and weight, and as well as the diameter of peri-tumoral blood vessel were determined using a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based body composition analyzer and confocal endomicroscopy
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