European journal of nuclear medicine
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The aims of this study were to investigate whether labelling with technetium-99m exametazime alters the expression of adhesion molecule CD11b on granulocytes and monocytes, and to study whether the expression of CD11b on unlabelled or labelled cells correlates with uptake of the labelled cells in the inflamed bowel, in the lungs or in the reticuloendothelial system. Leucocytes were obtained from 25 patients with inflammatory bowel disease who underwent leucocyte scan. The cellular expression of CD11b was analysed using flow cytometry. ⋯ No correlation was found between the CD11b expression on labelled granulocytes or monocytes and scintigraphic uptake. Our findings show that labelling with 99mTc-exametazime increases the expression of adhesion protein CD11b on granulocytes. The increase in surface expression of CD11b does not correlate with the scintigraphic uptake of labelled cells in the bowel, in the lungs or in the reticuloendothelial system.