Therapeutic Effect of Aclarubicin-containing Poly (lactic-co-glycolic) Acid (PLGA) Nanospheres on Hepatic Metastases in Rats Following Portal Vein Administration

• Published in: Iryo Yakugaku (Japanese Journal of Pharmaceutical Health Care and Sciences) Vol. 34; no. 1; pp. 40 - 47
• Main Authors: Tomiyama, Nariaki, Okochi, Hideaki, Nakamura, Chizuko, Nakano, Masahiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese; English
• Published: Japanese Society of Pharmaceutical Health Care and Sciences 2008
• Subjects: aclarubicin; nanospheres; poly (lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA); portal vein administration
• ISSN: 1346-342X; 1882-1499
• DOI: 10.5649/jjphcs.34.40

We investigated the therapeutic effect of poly (lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) nanospheres containing aclarubicin on hepatic metastases in rats following injection of the nanospheres via the portal vein.The aclarubicin-containing PLGA nanospheres were prepared by a solvent evaporation method.The PLGA nanospheres so obtained had a drug trapping efficiency of 18.4% and their mean particle size was 761 nm.The release profiles of aclarubicin from the PLGA nanospheres showed that 33.9% of the drug was released from the nanospheres on the first day and another 65.0% of the drug was gradually released over the following 7 days.After the intravenous administration of the PLGA nanospheres to the rats,the aclarubicin concentrations in the liver and spleen were significantly higher than those due to injection of aclarubicin solution,while the aclarubicin concentrations in the lungs and thymus were significantly lower.On evaluating the antitumor effect of the aclarubicin in the PLGA nanospheres on the hepatic metastases in the rats,the survival time was significantly longer than for rats treated with aclarubicin solution.A histological examination showed necrosis in the metastatic lesions only in the group treated with the PLGA nanospheres.These findings suggested that aclarubicin-containing PLGA nanospheres could be a more effective formulation for treating hepatic metastases.