Drug-targeting in combined cancer chemotherapy: tumor growth inhibition in mice by association of paclitaxel and etoposide with a cholesterol-rich nanoemulsion.

摘要

Lipid nanoemulsions (LDE) may be used as carriers of paclitaxel (PTX) and etoposide (ETP) to decrease toxicity and increase the therapeutic action of those drugs. The current study investigates the combined chemotherapy with PTX and ETP associated with LDE.Four groups of 10-20 B16F10 melanoma-bearing mice were treated with LDE-PTX and LDE-ETP in combination (LDE-PTX?+?ETP), commercial PTX and ETP in combination (PTX?+?ETP), single LDE-PTX, and single LDE-ETP. PTX and ETX doses were 9?μmol/kg administered in three intraperitoneal injections on three alternate days. In two control groups mice were treated with saline solution or LDE alone. Tumor growth, metastasis presence, cell-cycle distribution, blood cell counts and histological data were analyzed. Toxicity of all treatments was evaluated in mice without tumors.Tumor growth inhibition was similarly strong in all treatment groups. However, there was a greater reduction in the number of animals bearing metastases in the LDE-PTX?+?ETP group (30?%) in comparison to the PTX?+?ETP group (82?%, p?