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To use MIBI or not to use MIBI? That is the question when assessing tumour cells

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Abstract

99mTc-sestamibi (MIBI) is a well-known tumour imaging agent. Its retention within tumour cell mitochondria is related to perfusion and to the magnitude of the electrical gradient, reflecting cell viability. Several internal cell factors modulate this uptake; for example, multidrug resistance membrane proteins (Pgp and MRP1) and anti-apoptotic BCl-2 protein of the outer mitochondrial membrane can limit retention of MIBI. At the early stage of cell apoptosis, the electrical driving forces of MIBI uptake are impaired, and influx and accumulation are reduced. It seems clear that MIBI can be used before treatment to detect drug resistance, assess anti-apoptotic status and predict treatment efficacy. Although it has been suggested that MIBI might be used to monitor tumour response to treatment, MIBI is unable to differentiate tumours with ongoing apoptosis from those developing drug resistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UPRES 2360 Ciblage et Imagerie Fonctionnelle de la Progression Tumorale, Faculté de Médecine, Bobigny, France

    Jean-Luc Moretti, Nathalie Hauet & Olivier Rebillard

  2. Nuclear Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey

    Meltem Caglar

  3. Nuclear Medicine, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey

    Zeynep Burak

  4. Equipe Ciblage Fonctionnel et Prévention de la Progression Tumorale, UPRES 2360, Université Paris 13, UFR SMBH, 74 rue Marcel Cachin, 93017, Bobigny, France

    Jean-Luc Moretti

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Moretti, JL., Hauet, N., Caglar, M. et al. To use MIBI or not to use MIBI? That is the question when assessing tumour cells. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 32, 836–842 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-005-1840-x

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