Effective treatment of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours transfected with the sodium iodide symporter gene by 186Re-perrhenate in mice

Purpose ReO 4 − has similar kinetics regarding the sodium iodide symporter (NIS) to I − and TcO 4 − in NIS-expressing tissue. We investigated the therapeutic potential of 186 ReO 4 − in NIS-transfected neuroendocrine tumour tissue. Methods For experiments, the stably NIS-transfected pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer cell line Bon1C was used. NIS-mediated internalization and externalization experiments in vitro and a biodistribution study in nude mice bearing Bon1C xenografts were performed. A therapy study was also conducted consecutively in nude mice xenografted with Bon1C in which the mice were injected intravenously with Na 186 ReO 4 . Results In vitro studies showed exponential internalization and efflux kinetics of 186 ReO 4 − in the cell line. The biodistribution study showed high uptake of 186 ReO 4 − in NIS-expressing tumours. Tumour growth inhibition was significant after injection of 186 ReO 4 in two groups of animals treated with activity levels below the determined maximum tolerable activity as compared to controls. Conclusion These results indicate that the use of 186 ReO 4 − in the treatment of NIS-expressing neuroendocrine tumours is feasible and support the concept of using NIS as a therapeutic target for 186 ReO 4 − .