A novel $^{99m}$ Tc hyaluronate probe for SPECT imaging of lung cancer - feasibility study in an animal model

Abstract

This study described a novel radioactive probe for SPECT imaging of lung cancer. The probe was consisted of $^{99m}$ Tc labeled cartilage link protein (CLP). The CLP, a hyaluronate binding protein, was isolated from bovine nose cartilage and purified on a chromatography column. $^{99m}$ Tc labeling was carried out by pre-treating CLP with SnCl $_2$ . The feasibility of this probe for lung cancer imaging was tested in vivo in an animal model. The hyaluronate probe showed a fairly good binding activity towards both natural and tumor hyaluronic acid in in vitro and in vivo assays. The preliminary feasibility study in a human lung cancer bearing mouse model showed that the probe might be useful for tumor imaging.