The effect of antibody protein dose of anti-renal cell carcinoma monoclonal antibodies in nude mice with renal cell carcinoma xenografts.

BACKGROUND: Antibodies preferentially can direct radionuclides to solid tumors. However, antibody uptake in tumors is often highly heterogeneous. This heterogeneity may be overcome by increasing antibody protein dose.
METHODS: The biodistribution of increasing protein doses of radioiodinated antirenal cell carcinoma (RCC) monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) G250 and RC 38 was studied in mice with NU-12 or SK-RC-52 RCC xenografts. In addition, MoAb affinity constants and antigen densities (Scatchard analysis) and MoAb processing (internalization) were determined in vitro.
RESULTS: The relative uptake of G250 in NU-12 tumors was very high at low protein doses (125% injected dose/g [%ID/g]), but decreased at higher doses, suggesting tumor saturation. Indeed, saturation of G250 antigen occurred at 3 microg protein. In this model, 9200 G250 determinants per NU-12 cell could be targeted, which is only 6.1% of the 150,000 G250 determinants per NU-12 cell as determined in vitro. The RC 38 uptake in NU-12 tumors remained constant up to the 10 microg dose level (40% ID/g) and decreased at higher doses. RC 38 antigens were saturated at 25 microg of RC 38. With RC 38, 15% of the available RC 38 antigens per NU-12 tumor cell were targeted. In contrast, G250 uptake in SK-RC-52 tumors was very low at low antibody dose (4% ID/g at 1 microg) and increased with increasing protein dose. These differences in G250 biodistribution might be related to differences in the processing of G250 by the tumor cells.
CONCLUSIONS: Our studies show that some RCC tumors can be saturated with anti-RCC MoAbs at low (25 microg) to very low (3 microg) protein doses. At nonsaturated doses relatively high tumor uptake can be achieved. Surprisingly, in NU-12 tumors only 6.1% and 15% of the available antigenic sites were targeted at the saturating dose levels with G250 and RC 38, respectively.