The role of factor analysis in the evaluation of new radiopharmaceuticals.

Factor analysis of dynamic scintigraphic studies has been proposed for a variety of clinical applications. This method also called FADS (Factor Analysis of Dynamic Structures) enables spatial separation of complex images into discrete factors according to their time/activity characteristics. FADS, which does not require a priori formulation of a compartmental model of tracer kinetics, is particularly suitable for the evaluation of new radiolabeled compounds as potential radiopharmaceuticals. In animals as well as in humans it is possible to obtain information on the spatial time-distribution of tracers by analyzing computer acquired scintigraphic studies. On the basis of data obtained and analyzed with this method using [123I]IMP in humans, dogs, rabbits and rats, with two 99mTc labeled monoclonal antibodies in dogs and with 99mTc DTPA in renal transplants, we recommend this method as an adjunct in radiopharmaceutical development and evaluation.

Fatty acids binding to albumin increases its uptake and transcytosis by the lung capillary endothelium.

To determine whether uptake and transcytosis of albumin (A) in continuous capillary endothelia are modified when this protein carries fatty acids, the transport of albumin-oleic acid and albumin-palmitic acid complexes was compared with that of defatted albumin. The probes, either radioiodinated or tagged with 5-nm gold particles (Au), or both, were perfused in situ or injected in vivo; after 3 or 30 min lung fragments were radioassayed or examined by electron microscopy. Both in situ and in vivo, the uptake of fatty acid-carrying albumin (A-FA) was consistently 2 to 3 times higher than that of defatted A. Electron microscopy revealed that A-FA complexes tagged with gold were taken up and transported across the endothelium by plasmalemmal vesicles. Morphometric analysis showed that as compared with A-Au, at 3 min the density of (A-FA)Au bound to plasmalemmal vesicles was 2 to 3 times higher, and the extent of transcytosis was increased. Uptake of the iodinated albumin was more effectively competed by A-FA complexes than by defatted A, suggesting a higher affinity of the former for the albumin binding sites of the endothelium. The results indicate that when carrying fatty acids, albumin is taken up specifically and with high affinity by the capillary endothelium, a process that may play a role in the transport of fatty acids from the plasma to the cells where they are metabolized.

Measuring tracee turnover from tracer specific activity in the steady state.

When a substrate appears in and disappears from an unmeasured (tissue) compartment, the proper sites for tracer infusion and sampling to measure tracee turnover become controversial. We analyze a three-compartment model representing arterial blood, tissue, and venous blood. The desired quantity, tracee turnover, is the ratio of the steady-state infusion rate to tissue specific activity. However, specific activity in the tissue compartment is unknown. We assume infusion of tracer into the arterial pool at a constant rate and consider sampling of specific activity of either blood compartment in the steady state. We obtain estimates of tissue specific activity from measurement of concentrations of tracer and tracee in blood samples in two extreme cases. In case I, tracee is assumed to appear in the venous compartment but to disappear from the tissue pool. Then tissue specific activity is equal to arterial specific activity. In case II, both appearance and disappearance are from the tissue pool. Tissue specific activity is then less than arterial or venous specific activity. We give formulas for the difference in each case. We discuss the relationship of our models to actual tracer experiments and define physiological locations for our three compartments. Appearance of substrates is probably intermediate between our extreme cases. A numerical estimate of turnover for the substrate lactate in resting humans reveals an error bound of approximately 30%. We discuss sites of infusion and sampling consistent with our model, the effects of relaxing some of our modeling constraints, and experimental necessities for getting beyond the steady state.