Preliminary evaluation and in vitro cytotoxicity studies of [ 131 I]I-trastuzumab in HER2 expressing ovarian cancer cells

As trastuzumab is known to target the human epidermal growth factor receptor type (HER2), the potential of [ 131 I]I-trastuzumab as a radioimmunotherapy agent was evaluated in vitro and in vivo for HER2-overexpressing ovarian cancer cells (SKOV-3). [ 131 I]I-trastuzumab showed promising in vitro properties and high tumor uptake in SKOV-3 xenografts. Its cellular toxicity was dose- and time-dependent, and it retained in the SKOV-3 cells in the G2/M phase of cell cycle. The mode of cell death was predominantly by apoptosis. These results demonstrate the potential of [ 131 I]I-trastuzumab for further therapeutic evaluation in HER2-overexpressing ovarian cancers.