Diverse metabolic response of cancer cells treated with a 213 Bi-anti-EGFR-immunoconjugate

Evaluation of treatment response is among the major challenges in modern oncology. We herein used a monoclonal antibody targeting the EGF receptor (EGFR) labelled with the alpha emitter 213 Bi ( 213 Bi-anti-EGFR-MAb). EJ28Luc (bladder) and LN18 (glioma) cancer cells, both overexpressing EGFR, were incubated for 3 h with the radioimmunoconjugate. To assess the responses in the core carbon metabolism upon this treatment, these cancer cell lines were subsequently cultivated for 18 h in the presence of [U- 13 C 6 ]glucose. 13 C-enrichment and isotopologue profiles of key amino acids were monitored by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS), in order to monitor the impacts of the radionuclide-treatment upon glucose metabolism. In comparison to untreated controls, treatment of EJ28Luc cells with 213 Bi-anti-EGFR-MAb resulted in a significantly decreased incorporation of 13 C from [U- 13 C 6 ]glucose into alanine, aspartate, glutamate, glycine, proline and serine. In sharp contrast, the same amino acids did not display less 13 C-enrichments during treatment of the LN18 cells. The data indicate early treatment response of the bladder cancer cells, but not of the glioma cells though cell lines were killed following 213 Bi-anti-EGFR-MAb treatment. The pilot study shows that the 13 C-labelling approach is a valid tool to assess the responsiveness of cancer cells upon radionuclide-treatment in considerable metabolic detail.