Targeted anti-tumor agents and their cytotoxicity on gastric cancer cells in vitro.

Several chemotherapeutic drugs including methotrexate, daunomycin, mitomycin C and toxin such as ricin, A chain of ricin were chosen to conjugate with murine monoclonal antibodies MGb2 and MG11. The drugs were linked to antibody directly or through human serum albumin as intermediary. The ELISA results showed that the antibody retained well the antigen-binding capacity during conjugation. These conjugates showed highly selective cytotoxic effect on target cells. In chronic cytotoxicity tests, the cytotoxic effect of these conjugates on human gastric cancer cells KATOIII was quite similar to that of free drugs or ricin, but greater than that of irrelevant conjugates, while they had a little effect on non-target cells, suggesting that the selective cytotoxicity on target cells of the conjugates be mediated by antibodies.