Antes de se iniciar os estudos clínicos de uma nova droga, é necessário realizar uma bateria de testes de segurança, para avaliar o risco humano. Os radiofármacos como qualquer outra nova droga, devem ser testados levando em conta sua especificidade, duração de tratamento e principalmente a toxicidade de ambas as partes, a molécula não marcada e a sua radioatividade em si, além das impurezas provindas da radiólise. Órgãos regulatórios como o Food and Drug Administration-EUA (FDA) e a Agência de Medicina Européia (EMEA), estabelecem guias para a regulamentação de produção e pesquisas de radiofármacos, No Brasil a produção de radiofármacos não era regulamentada até o final de 2009, quando foram estabelecidas pela Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (ANVISA) as resoluções nº 63, que visa as Boas Práticas de Fabricação de Radiofármacos e a nº 64 que visa o registro do radiofámaco. Para a obtenção do registro de radiofármacos são necessárias a comprovação da qualidade, segurança, eficácia e especificidade do medicamento. Para a segurança dos radiofármacos devem ser apresentados estudos de toxicidade aguda, subaguda e crônica como também a toxicidade reprodutiva, mutagênica e carcinogênica. Hoje o IPEN-CNEN/SP produz um dos radiofámacos mais importantes da medicina nuclear, o 18F-FDG, que é utilizado em muitas aplicações clínicas, em particular no diagnóstico e estadiamento de tumores. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a toxicidade sistêmica (aguda/subaguda) do radiofármaco 18F- FDG em um sistema teste in vivo, conforme preconiza a RDC nº 64, que servirá de modelo para os protocolos de toxicidade dos radiofármacos produzidos no IPEN. Os ensaios realizados foram: os testes de toxicidade aguda e de toxicidade subaguda, estudos de biodistribuição do 18F-FDG, ensaio cometa e toxicidade reprodutiva. Na toxicidade aguda, ratos sadios foram injetados com 18F- FDG e observados durante 14 dias enquanto na toxicidade subaguda os animais foram observados durante 28 dias. Os resultados não mostraram nenhuma evidência de toxicidade na exposição ao 18F-FDG na toxicidade aguda e na subaguda. A biodistribuição demonstrou resultados semelhantes aos da literatura, onde a bexiga é o órgão que mais recebe radiação. O ensaio cometa mostrou que a radiação do radiofármaco não foi significativa para gerar danos no DNA. Na toxicidade reprodutiva, casais de ratos expostos ao 18F-FDG geraram filhotes completamente normais e saudáveis. Por fim, o 18F-FDG não evidenciou nenhuma toxicidade. / Before starting clinical trials of a new drug, it is necessary to perform a battery of safety tests for assessing human risk. Radiopharmaceuticals like any new drug must be tested taking into account its specificity, duration of treatment and especially the toxicity of both parties, the unlabeled molecule and its radionuclide, apart from impurities emanating from radiolysis. Regulatory agencies like the Food and Drug Administration - USA (FDA) and the European Medicine Agency (EMEA), establish guidelines for the regulation of production and research of radiopharmaceuticals. In Brazil the production of radiopharmaceuticals was not regulated until the end of 2009, when were established by the National Agency for Sanitary Surveillance (ANVISA) resolutions No. 63, which refers to the Good Manufacturing Practices of Radiopharmaceuticals and No. 64 which seeks the registration of record radiopharmaceuticals. To obtain registration of radiopharmaceuticals are necessary to prove the quality, safety, efficacy and specificity of the drug . For the safety of radiopharmaceuticals must be presented studies of acute toxicity, subacute and chronic toxicity as well as reproductive, mutagenic and carcinogenic. Nowadays IPEN-CNEN/SP produces one of the most important radiopharmaceutical of nuclear medicine, the 18F-FDG, which is used in many clinical applications, particularly in the diagnosis and staging of tumors. The objective of this study was to evaluate the systemic toxicity (acute/ subacute) radiopharmaceutical 18F-FDG in an in vivo test system, as recommended by the RDC No. 64, which will serve as a model for protocols toxicity of radiopharmaceuticals produced at IPEN . The following tests were performed: tests of acute and subacute toxicity, biodistribution studies of 18F-FDG, comet assay and reproductive toxicity. In acute toxicity, healthy rats were injected with 18F-FDG and observed for 14 days while in subacute toxicity animals were observed for 28 days. The results showed no evidence of toxicity at exposure 18F-FDG in acute and subacute toxicity. The biodistribution showed similar results to the literature, where the bladder is the organ that receives the most radiation. The comet assay showed that the radiation from the radiopharmaceutical was not significant to generate DNA damage. In reproductive toxicity in coupled rats exposed to 18F-FDG generated completely normal and healthy puppies. Finally, the 18F-FDG did not show any toxicity.

Antes de se iniciar os estudos clínicos de uma nova droga, é necessário realizar uma bateria de testes de segurança, para avaliar o risco humano. Os radiofármacos como qualquer outra nova droga, devem ser testados levando em conta sua especificidade, duração de tratamento e principalmente a toxicidade de ambas as partes, a molécula não marcada e a sua radioatividade em si, além das impurezas provindas da radiólise. Órgãos regulatórios como o Food and Drug Administration-EUA (FDA) e a Agência de Medicina Européia (EMEA), estabelecem guias para a regulamentação de produção e pesquisas de radiofármacos, No Brasil a produção de radiofármacos não era regulamentada até o final de 2009, quando foram estabelecidas pela Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (ANVISA) as resoluções nº 63, que visa as Boas Práticas de Fabricação de Radiofármacos e a nº 64 que visa o registro do radiofámaco. Para a obtenção do registro de radiofármacos são necessárias a comprovação da qualidade, segurança, eficácia e especificidade do medicamento. Para a segurança dos radiofármacos devem ser apresentados estudos de toxicidade aguda, subaguda e crônica como também a toxicidade reprodutiva, mutagênica e carcinogênica. Hoje o IPEN-CNEN/SP produz um dos radiofámacos mais importantes da medicina nuclear, o 18F-FDG, que é utilizado em muitas aplicações clínicas, em particular no diagnóstico e estadiamento de tumores. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a toxicidade sistêmica (aguda/subaguda) do radiofármaco 18F- FDG em um sistema teste in vivo, conforme preconiza a RDC nº 64, que servirá de modelo para os protocolos de toxicidade dos radiofármacos produzidos no IPEN. Os ensaios realizados foram: os testes de toxicidade aguda e de toxicidade subaguda, estudos de biodistribuição do 18F-FDG, ensaio cometa e toxicidade reprodutiva. Na toxicidade aguda, ratos sadios foram injetados com 18F- FDG e observados durante 14 dias enquanto na toxicidade subaguda os animais foram observados durante 28 dias. Os resultados não mostraram nenhuma evidência de toxicidade na exposição ao 18F-FDG na toxicidade aguda e na subaguda. A biodistribuição demonstrou resultados semelhantes aos da literatura, onde a bexiga é o órgão que mais recebe radiação. O ensaio cometa mostrou que a radiação do radiofármaco não foi significativa para gerar danos no DNA. Na toxicidade reprodutiva, casais de ratos expostos ao 18F-FDG geraram filhotes completamente normais e saudáveis. Por fim, o 18F-FDG não evidenciou nenhuma toxicidade. / Before starting clinical trials of a new drug, it is necessary to perform a battery of safety tests for assessing human risk. Radiopharmaceuticals like any new drug must be tested taking into account its specificity, duration of treatment and especially the toxicity of both parties, the unlabeled molecule and its radionuclide, apart from impurities emanating from radiolysis. Regulatory agencies like the Food and Drug Administration - USA (FDA) and the European Medicine Agency (EMEA), establish guidelines for the regulation of production and research of radiopharmaceuticals. In Brazil the production of radiopharmaceuticals was not regulated until the end of 2009, when were established by the National Agency for Sanitary Surveillance (ANVISA) resolutions No. 63, which refers to the Good Manufacturing Practices of Radiopharmaceuticals and No. 64 which seeks the registration of record radiopharmaceuticals. To obtain registration of radiopharmaceuticals are necessary to prove the quality, safety, efficacy and specificity of the drug . For the safety of radiopharmaceuticals must be presented studies of acute toxicity, subacute and chronic toxicity as well as reproductive, mutagenic and carcinogenic. Nowadays IPEN-CNEN/SP produces one of the most important radiopharmaceutical of nuclear medicine, the 18F-FDG, which is used in many clinical applications, particularly in the diagnosis and staging of tumors. The objective of this study was to evaluate the systemic toxicity (acute/ subacute) radiopharmaceutical 18F-FDG in an in vivo test system, as recommended by the RDC No. 64, which will serve as a model for protocols toxicity of radiopharmaceuticals produced at IPEN . The following tests were performed: tests of acute and subacute toxicity, biodistribution studies of 18F-FDG, comet assay and reproductive toxicity. In acute toxicity, healthy rats were injected with 18F-FDG and observed for 14 days while in subacute toxicity animals were observed for 28 days. The results showed no evidence of toxicity at exposure 18F-FDG in acute and subacute toxicity. The biodistribution showed similar results to the literature, where the bladder is the organ that receives the most radiation. The comet assay showed that the radiation from the radiopharmaceutical was not significant to generate DNA damage. In reproductive toxicity in coupled rats exposed to 18F-FDG generated completely normal and healthy puppies. Finally, the 18F-FDG did not show any toxicity.

No Brasil e no mundo a medicina nuclear vem ganhando destaque com as técnicas diagnósticas que permitem o estudo metabólico de doenças, alterando significativamente o gerenciamento dos pacientes. Essa tecnologia inovadora vem trazendo expectativas tanto para os setores especializados como para a sociedade. Nesse trabalho foi estudada a utilização do radiofármaco 18F-FDG na região metropolitana de São Paulo e nas áreas adjacentes, bem como a estrutura do mercado atual e das dificuldades a serem superadas com o aumento da demanda do 18F-FDG. A pesquisa contou com uma análise do mercado de radiofármacos internacional e das principais alterações que vem ocorrendo nessa área no Brasil nos últimos anos. Foram realizadas entrevistas com profissionais atuantes na área de medicina nuclear e coleta de dados através de questionário enviado para os centros consumidores do radiofármaco na região coberta pela pesquisa. As entrevistas expressaram as opiniões dos entrevistados sobre as transformações nesse setor e as tendências futuras e os dados coletados no questionário serviram de complementação a utilização do radiofármaco nos equipamentos do tipo Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT), Positron Emission Tomography (PET) e Positron Emission Tomography / Computer Tomography (PET/CT). O maior uso do 18F-FDG tem sido para o diagnóstico oncológico nos equipamentos do tipo PET e PET/CT. Essa utilização deverá crescer nos próximos anos, podendo se expandir para outras especialidades como neurologia e cardiologia. Apesar de restrita atualmente as cidades de São Paulo e Rio de Janeiro deverá haver uma expansão dessa modalidade diagnóstica nos outros Estados do país que começam a estruturar produção do radioisótopo. A recente alteração na constituição que permite a produção e comercialização de radioisótopos de meia-vida curta também deverá aumentar o interesse da iniciativa privada nesse mercado, que internacionalmente possui projeções otimistas de crescimento. Existe também uma expectativa que a aprovação dos planos de saúde para a cobertura dos exames utilizando 18F-FDG no PET impulsione esse mercado ainda mais, repetindo a experiência internacional. Os recentes investimentos realizados pelo IPEN para aumentar a produção do 18F-FDG deverá garantir a oferta com confiabilidade, para a região Sudeste e Sul do país. / Nuclear Medicine in Brazil and worldwide has developed distinction with diagnosis techniques that allow metabolic research of the disease, changing in a significant fashion the patients outcome. This innovative technology leads expectations from specific fields up to society itself. This research studied the use of 18F-FDG radiopharmaceutical in the metropolitan region of São Paulo and adjacent areas, as well as the recent trade structure and the difficulties that should be overcome with the increase of the 18F-FDG demand. This research counted on the analysis of the international radiopharmaceutical trade and the main changes that have been happening in this area in Brazil during the past few years. Interviews were performed with professionals within the area of nuclear medicine and data has been collected through questionnaire sent to the consuming centers of the radiopharmaceutical in the region covered in this research. The interviews expressed the opinions of the interviewees concerning transformations in this field and future tendencies and the information obtained from the survey was the basis of complementation of the use of radiopharmaceutical on equipments such as Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT), Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Positron Emission Tomography / Computer Tomography (PET/CT). The major use of 18F-FDG has been used for oncology diagnosis with equipments such as PET and PEC/CT. This use shall grow in the next years, maybe expanding to other specialties such as neurology and cardiology. Although nowadays restricted to the cities of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, there is a possibility of expansion to other diagnosis modalities in other states of the country that are starting to structure the production of the radioisotope. The recent change in the constitution permitting the production and commerce of short half-life radioisotopes also contributes to the increase the interest of private funding of this sector in which internationally holds optimistic projections of increase. There is also the expectancy that approving health care plans coverage of these exams using 18F-FDG with PET to boast more this sector, repeating international experience. Recent investments made by IPEN to increase the production of 18F-FDG shall guarantee the offer of confidentiality for the Southeast and Southern regions of the country.

No Brasil e no mundo a medicina nuclear vem ganhando destaque com as técnicas diagnósticas que permitem o estudo metabólico de doenças, alterando significativamente o gerenciamento dos pacientes. Essa tecnologia inovadora vem trazendo expectativas tanto para os setores especializados como para a sociedade. Nesse trabalho foi estudada a utilização do radiofármaco 18F-FDG na região metropolitana de São Paulo e nas áreas adjacentes, bem como a estrutura do mercado atual e das dificuldades a serem superadas com o aumento da demanda do 18F-FDG. A pesquisa contou com uma análise do mercado de radiofármacos internacional e das principais alterações que vem ocorrendo nessa área no Brasil nos últimos anos. Foram realizadas entrevistas com profissionais atuantes na área de medicina nuclear e coleta de dados através de questionário enviado para os centros consumidores do radiofármaco na região coberta pela pesquisa. As entrevistas expressaram as opiniões dos entrevistados sobre as transformações nesse setor e as tendências futuras e os dados coletados no questionário serviram de complementação a utilização do radiofármaco nos equipamentos do tipo Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT), Positron Emission Tomography (PET) e Positron Emission Tomography / Computer Tomography (PET/CT). O maior uso do 18F-FDG tem sido para o diagnóstico oncológico nos equipamentos do tipo PET e PET/CT. Essa utilização deverá crescer nos próximos anos, podendo se expandir para outras especialidades como neurologia e cardiologia. Apesar de restrita atualmente as cidades de São Paulo e Rio de Janeiro deverá haver uma expansão dessa modalidade diagnóstica nos outros Estados do país que começam a estruturar produção do radioisótopo. A recente alteração na constituição que permite a produção e comercialização de radioisótopos de meia-vida curta também deverá aumentar o interesse da iniciativa privada nesse mercado, que internacionalmente possui projeções otimistas de crescimento. Existe também uma expectativa que a aprovação dos planos de saúde para a cobertura dos exames utilizando 18F-FDG no PET impulsione esse mercado ainda mais, repetindo a experiência internacional. Os recentes investimentos realizados pelo IPEN para aumentar a produção do 18F-FDG deverá garantir a oferta com confiabilidade, para a região Sudeste e Sul do país. / Nuclear Medicine in Brazil and worldwide has developed distinction with diagnosis techniques that allow metabolic research of the disease, changing in a significant fashion the patients outcome. This innovative technology leads expectations from specific fields up to society itself. This research studied the use of 18F-FDG radiopharmaceutical in the metropolitan region of São Paulo and adjacent areas, as well as the recent trade structure and the difficulties that should be overcome with the increase of the 18F-FDG demand. This research counted on the analysis of the international radiopharmaceutical trade and the main changes that have been happening in this area in Brazil during the past few years. Interviews were performed with professionals within the area of nuclear medicine and data has been collected through questionnaire sent to the consuming centers of the radiopharmaceutical in the region covered in this research. The interviews expressed the opinions of the interviewees concerning transformations in this field and future tendencies and the information obtained from the survey was the basis of complementation of the use of radiopharmaceutical on equipments such as Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT), Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Positron Emission Tomography / Computer Tomography (PET/CT). The major use of 18F-FDG has been used for oncology diagnosis with equipments such as PET and PEC/CT. This use shall grow in the next years, maybe expanding to other specialties such as neurology and cardiology. Although nowadays restricted to the cities of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, there is a possibility of expansion to other diagnosis modalities in other states of the country that are starting to structure the production of the radioisotope. The recent change in the constitution permitting the production and commerce of short half-life radioisotopes also contributes to the increase the interest of private funding of this sector in which internationally holds optimistic projections of increase. There is also the expectancy that approving health care plans coverage of these exams using 18F-FDG with PET to boast more this sector, repeating international experience. Recent investments made by IPEN to increase the production of 18F-FDG shall guarantee the offer of confidentiality for the Southeast and Southern regions of the country.

The aim of this thesis was to develop and validate prognostic and predictive biomarkers in order to better identify among patients with metastatic colorectal cancer those at high-risk of early death or progression. The interest in developing such biomarkers is that their subsequent use in clinical practice would avoid exposing a patient for months to the toxic side effects of ineffective and expensive treatments, and thus to limit the financial impact of these treatments on our healthcare systems.The projects carried out in the framework of this thesis have shown that:The biomarker WB-MATV (metabolically active tumor volume of the whole body) measured before the start of the last line treatment has a high prognostic value, higher than the general clinical parameters commonly used. This biomarker was then validated in first line treatment and was shown to have a high prognostic value, also higher than the general clinical parameters.The biomarker cfDNA (circulating DNA) also representing the tumor load was then investigated to assess its value added to the previously validated WB-MATV. We showed that the presence of high levels of cfDNA before starting the last-line treatment is significantly associated with poor prognosis and that these two biomarkers are prognostically complementary, each providing an added value.The biomarker of early metabolic response to last line treatment has a high negative predictive value (95%). This biomarker was then validated as a predictive biomarker independent of WB-MATV and clinical factors in first-line treatment setting.In conclusion, the results of this thesis strongly support the clinical use of these prognostic and predictive biomarkers in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Allowing a more accurate stratification of patients, the use of the combination of these biomarkers should become an essential tool to help oncologists in tailoring therapeutic strategies according to the patients’ individual risk. / Doctorat en Sciences médicales (Médecine) / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(医学) / 甲第20984号 / 医博第4330号 / 新制||医||1027(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院医学研究科医学専攻 / (主査)教授 武藤 学, 教授 森田 智視, 教授 富樫 かおり / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Medical Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

No description available.

<p>This research addresses low dose ionizing radiation exposure and risk. While it is well understood that high doses of radiation lead to deleterious health effects, there is controversy surrounding the definitive level of risk associated with exposure to low doses of radiation. These types of low level exposures are relevant to patients undergoing medical imaging procedures. This thesis considers the health effects associated with nuclear medicine, specifically positron emission tomography (PET), with the radiopharmaceutical 2-deoxy-2-(¹⁸F)fluoro-D-glucose(¹⁸F-FDG). These effects were studied in mice to eliminate the high degree of variability among human patients.</p> <p>The early response to various injection activities of ¹⁸F-FDG was first considered in terms of the DNA damage response in the haematopoietic cells of wild-type <em>Trp53+/+</em> mice. The late effects of PET scans with clinically relevant doses of ¹⁸F-FDG, such as carcinogenesis, were evaluated in cancer prone <em>Trp53+/-</em> mice. The role of p53 in the response to low dose radiation was also investigated to explore how short term responses correlate with p53-mediated cancer risk. This work has helped to advance the understanding of low dose radiation biology and the health risks associated with medical imaging procedures.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Le cancer est chaque année responsable de 7,6 millions de décès dans le monde. L'amélioration des traitements constitue donc un enjeu majeur de santé publique. Il a été démontré que l'association d'un diagnostic précoce et d'un traitement efficace était associée à un impact significatif sur la survie des patients. De nombreux facteurs pronostics de la survie ont été identités et sont actuellement utilisés en routine clinique. Ce diagnostic est souvent réalisé en partieà l'aide de l'imagerie de Tomographie par Emission de Positons (TEP), cette dernière s'étantavérée être un outil très performant pour l'identification des tumeurs et métastases dans uncertain nombre de modèles de cancer. La TEP fait partie des modalités d'imagerie fonctionnelleet a donc le potentiel de fournir des informations liées à la biologie sous-jacente des cancers.Toutefois, du fait de sa faible résolution spatiale, elle n'avait que très peu été utilisée avec cet objectif.Ce travail de thèse a consisté à étudier des paramètres quantitatifs pouvant être extraitsde ces images, plus spécifiquement ceux permettant la caractérisation de l'hétérogénéité intratumorale. Nous avons pu identifier un ensemble de paramètres issus de l'analyse de texture quisont reproductibles, robustes aux effets de volume partiel et à la méthode de segmentation, etvraisemblablement liés à la physiologie tumorale. Nous avons également pu mettre en évidencele potentiel de ces paramètres extraits d'images de diagnostic, pour contribuer à la prédiction dela réponse thérapeutique ainsi que comme facteur pronostic. Ces nouveaux indices quantitatifspourraient à relativement court terme venir compléter les facteurs de référence courammentutilisés aujourd'hui en oncologie pour la prise en charge thérapeutique des patients. / Cancer is responsible every year for the death of 7.6 million people. Treatments improvement is thus of the greatest importance regarding public health. The association of an early diagnosis with an efficient treatment was shown to lead to a significant impact on patients survival rates. Numerous prognostic factors have been identified and are now being used in clinical routine. Nowadays, Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging is often used for tumor and metastasis identification because of its established accuracy in numerous cancer models. PET belongs to the functional imaging techniques and may potentially therefore provide information relative to cancer biology. Nevertheless, because of its low spatial resolution, this technique has not been extensively considered for such a purpose. This thesis work aimed at studying quantitative parameters that could be extracted from PET images through texture analysis, in order to characterize tumor heterogeneity. We identified a set of reproducible parameters, robust with respect to partial volume effects as well as segmentation methods that are probably related to the tumor physiology. We have also demonstrated the power of these parameters obtained from diagnostic images for contributing in predicting the therapeutic response as prognostic factors. These new quantitative parameters could in the relatively short term be utilized complementarily to standard oncology factors for patient management purposes.

As doenças cardiovasculares são a principal causa de mortalidade no mundo. A aterosclerose é a base fisiopatológica dessas doenças, sendo definida como um processo crônico-inflamatório multifatorial, resultando da interação de diferentes células como linfócitos, macrófagos, células endoteliais e células musculares lisas na parede arterial. A lipoproteína de baixa densidade eletronegativa [LDL(-)], uma subfração modificada da LDL nativa, desempenha um papel-chave na aterosclerose, uma vez que as modificações sofridas por esta partícula são capazes de induzir o acúmulo de ésteres de colesterol em macrófagos e a subsequente formação de células espumosas. O sistema imunológico é crucial no processo aterogênico e estratégias terapêuticas direcionadas à imunoregulação deste processo têm sido utilizadas como novas alternativas tanto na prevenção do desenvolvimento quanto da progressão desta doença. Dentre essas estratégias, destaca-se o uso de fragmentos de anticorpos como o scFv (do inglês, single chain fragment variable), que podem ainda estar conjugados a nanopartículas com o intuito de aumentar sua eficiência de ação no organismo. Diante do papel da LDL(-) na aterosclerose, este projeto objetivou avaliar os efeitos in vitro e in vivo de um sistema nanoestruturado contendo fragmentos scFv anti-LDL(-) derivatizados na superfície de nanocápsulas sobre macrófagos murinos e humanos primários e em camundongos knockout para o gene do receptor da LDL (Ldlr-/-) no desenvolvimento e na progressão dessa doença. Demonstrou-se que o tratamento de macrófagos com a formulação scFv anti-LDL(-)-MCMN-Zn diminuiu de forma significativa a captação de LDL(-), assim como a expressão de IL-1&#946; (mRNA e proteína) e MCP-1 (mRNA). Foi demonstrada a internalização da nanoformulação pelos macrófagos via diferentes mecanismos de endocitose, demonstrando seu potencial uso como carreador de fármacos. In vivo, a nanoformulação diminuiu de forma significativa a área da lesão aterosclerótica em camundongos Ldlr-/- submetidos à avaliação pela técnica de tomografia por emissão de pósitrons (do inglês, PET), utilizando o radiotraçador 18F-FDG (18F-desoxiglicose), associada à tomografia computadorizada (CT) com agente de contraste iodado, além da análise morfométrica das lesões no arco aórtico. O conjunto dos resultados obtidos evidenciou a ação ateroprotetora da formulação scFv anti-LDL(-)-MCMN-Zn, reforçando seu potencial como estratégia terapêutica na aterosclerose. / Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Atherosclerosis is the pathophysiological basis of these diseases, defined as a chronic inflammatory multifactorial process, resulting from the interaction of several cells such as lymphocytes macrophages, endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells within the arterial wall. The electronegative low-density lipoprotein [LDL(-)], a modified subfraction of native LDL, plays a key role in atherosclerosis, since its modifications are capable of inducing the accumulation of cholesteryl esters in macrophages and the subsequent foam cells formation. The immune system is crucial in atherogenic process and therapeutic strategies directed to the immunoregulation of this process have been used as a new alternative in the prevention of the development as well as the progression of this disease. Among these strategies, it is the use of antibody fragments such as scFv (single chain fragment variable), which may be also conjugated to nanoparticles in order to increase their efficiency in the body. Given the role of LDL(-) in atherosclerosis, the aim of this project was to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo effects of a nanostructured system containing scFv anti-LDL(-) fragments derivatized on the surface of nanocapsules on murine and human primary macrophages and in the development and progression of the disease in LDL receptor knockout mice (Ldlr-/-). It was demonstrated that the treatment of macrophages with scFv anti-LDL(-)-MCMN-Zn formulation significantly decreases the uptake of LDL(-) and the expression IL-1&#946; (mRNA and protein) and MCP-1 (mRNA). Moreover, the internalization of the nanoformulation by macrophages through different endocytosis mechanisms was shown, demonstrating its potential use as a nanocarrier. In vivo, the nanoformulation decreased the area of atherosclerotic lesions in Ldlr-/- mice evaluated by positron emission tomography with 18F-FDG associated with computed tomography with iodinated contrast agent (PET/CT), besides the lesion morphometric analysis at the aortic arch Thus, these data provide evidence of the atheroprotection action of the ateroprotection action of the scFv anti-LDL(-)-MCMN-Zn formulation, suggesting its promising use as a therapeutic strategy for atherosclerosis.