Selective in vitro and in vivo growth inhibition against human yolk sac tumor cell lines by purified antibody against human alpha-fetoprotein conjugated with mitomycin C via human serum albumin.

The anticancer drug mitomycin C (MMC) was conjugated with an affinity-purified horse antibody to human alpha-fetoprotein (aAFP) with human serum albumin (HSA) as the intermediate drug carrier. The conjugate (aAFP:HSA:MMC molar ratio, 1:1:30) retained full antibody binding activity as determined by a competitive binding radioimmunoassay. In a cytotoxicity test in which the AFP-producing human yolk sac tumor TG-1 cells were preincubated with test materials for 2 h followed by an additional 48-h culture in fresh medium, the conjugate was 20-fold more cytotoxic than free MMC at an equivalent MMC concentration of 100 ng/ml. The in vivo antitumor effect of the conjugate was tested against the human yolk sac tumor JOG-9 growing in athymic nude mice. When the tumor-bearing mice were treated with a total of 6 injections given on 2 consecutive days and then every other day starting 8 days after SC tumor inoculation [2 (equivalent MMC) microgram/head per injection], the conjugate retarded tumor growth more effectively than free MMC and normal horse immunoglobulin conjugate.