The effect of near-infrared fluorescence conjugation on the anti-cancer potential of cetuximab

• Main Authors: Ji Young Yun, Byung-Hwa Hyun, Sang Yoon Nam, Young Won Yun, Hu-Jang Lee, Beom-Jun Lee
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2018-12-01
• Series: Laboratory Animal Research
• Subjects: Anti-cancer; near-infrared fluorescence; Cetuximab-NIRF; A431 cells
• Online Access: http://link.springer.com/article/10.5625/lar.2018.34.1.30

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.