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Updated: Aug 3, 2026
A "Patient-Like" Orthotopic Syngeneic Mouse Model of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Metastasis
Published on: October 24, 2015
[Experimental study of transferrin receptor molecular imaging in human hepatocellular carcinoma transplanted in nude
1Department of Nuclear Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Techology, Wuhan 430022, China. wuzhijian@hotmail.com
Objective:
To investigate the feasibility of (99m)Tc-transferrin ((99m)Tc-Tf) as an transferrin receptor imaging agent in nude mice bearing human hepatoma SMMC-7721 tumor.
Methods:
Biodistribution of (99m)Tc-Tf in Balb/c mice was assayed, and transferrin receptor imaging in Balb/c nu/nu nude mice bearing human hepatocellular carcinoma SMMC-7721 xenografts was carried out, with or without inhibition of transferrin receptor with unlabeled transferrin. The receptor radioligand binding assay with (125)I-transferrin as ligand was established, and the number of receptors per cell and the K(d) were worked out.
Results:
(99m)Tc-Tf was mainly distributed in the liver, blood and kidneys. At 18 h post injection, the ratios of tumor/blood, tumor/liver and tumor/muscle were 24.2, 1.7 and 35.5, respectively. The ratio of tumor uptake at 18 h without unlabeled transferrin pretreatment to that with pretreatment was 16.3. The number of receptors per cell was 2.4 x 10(5) and the K(d) was found to be 4.46 nmol/L.
Conclusion:
All those results indicate that (99m)Tc-Tf is specifically localized in tumor lesions of nude mice. (99m)Tc-Tf may be useful in detection of hepatocellular carcinoma.
