Pharmaceuticals, Vol. 18, Pages 897: Zirconium-89-Oxine Cell Tracking by PET Reveals Preferential Monocyte Recruitment to Cancer and Inflammation over Macrophages

Pharmaceuticals doi: 10.3390/ph18060897

Authors:
Sho Koyasu
Hannah A. Minor
Kingsley O. Asiedu
Peter L. Choyke
Noriko Sato

Background/Objectives: Cell-based therapies have become increasingly important in the treatment of cancers and inflammatory diseases; however, therapies utilizing monocyte–macrophage lineage cells remain relatively underexplored. Non-invasive cell tracking allows a better understanding of the fate of such cells, which is essential for leveraging their therapeutic potential. Here, we employed a Zirconium-89 (89Zr)-oxine cell labeling method to compare the trafficking of monocytes and macrophages in vivo. Methods: Mouse bone marrow-derived monocytes and macrophages were each labeled with 89Zr-oxine and evaluated for their viability, radioactivity retention, chemotaxis, and phagocytic function in vitro. Labeled cells were intravenously administered to healthy mice and to murine models of granuloma and syngeneic tumors. Cell migration was monitored using microPET/CT, while cell recruitment to the lesions was further assessed via ex vivo biodistribution and flow cytometry. Results: Labeled cells exhibited similar survival and proliferation to unlabeled cells for up to 7 days in culture. While both maintained phagocytic function, monocytes showed higher CCL2-driven chemotaxis compared to macrophages. 89Zr-oxine PET revealed initial cell accumulation in the lungs, followed by their homing to the liver and spleen within 2–24 h, persisting through the 5-day observation period. Notably, monocytes trafficked to the liver and spleen more rapidly than macrophages. In both inflammation and cancer models, monocytes demonstrated higher accumulation at the lesion sites compared to macrophages. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the usefulness of 89Zr-oxine PET in tracking monocyte–macrophage lineage cells, highlighting their distinct migration patterns and providing insights that could advance monocyte-centered cell therapies.

Source link

Sho Koyasu www.mdpi.com