title: Ultrastructural disposition of adriamycin-associated magnetic albumin microspheres in rats.
abstract: The ultrastructural disposition of intra-arterially administered adriamycin-associated magnetic albumin microspheres has been investigated. The rat tail was used as the target organ and demarcated into the following three parts: T1, the injection site; T2, the target site; and T3, the posttarget site. Adriamycin HCl (2.0 mg/kg) was administered via the carrier through a cannula fixed at T1. The target site, T2, was exposed to a magnetic field of 8000 G for 30 min postdosing. Animals were sacrificed at scheduled time intervals over a 72-h period, and the tissue samples from T2 were observed by light and transmission electron microscopy. Electron microscopy revealed that microspheres traverse the vascular endothelium of the target tissue as early as 2 h after dosing. Gradual loss of tissue organization and cellular components, as a function of drug exposure time, demonstrated that the pharmacodynamic characteristics of the drug are not altered by its entrapment and delivery via the magnetic microspheres. The study confirms second-order drug targeting in the target tissue of healthy animals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: P K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: C T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Rao
mesh_terms: D000418:Albumins / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D005260:Female; D008280:Magnetics; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008863:Microspheres; D009132:Muscles / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D000418:Albumins; D004317:Doxorubicin