Evaluation of different calibrated spherical polyvinyl alcohol microspheres in transcatheter arterial chemoembolization: VX2 tumor model in rabbit liver.
OBJECTIVE
To assess whether porosity and compressibility of calibrated spherical polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) microspheres affect doxorubicin plasma and tumor concentrations after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in a VX2 rabbit model.


METHODS
Fifteen rabbits were divided into three groups of five rabbits each. Three different types of calibrated spherical PVA microspheres with variable levels of porosity and compressibility were blindly evaluated. TACE was performed by injecting a mixture of doxorubicin (5 mg) and iodized oil (0.5 mL) followed by injection of the embolic material (0.3-0.5 mL). Plasma concentrations of doxorubicin and doxorubicinol were analyzed 20, 40, 60, and 120 minutes and 2 days after TACE, and liver tissue and tumor doxorubicin concentrations were measured 2 days after TACE.


RESULTS
All calibrated spherical PVA microspheres showed similar patterns of plasma doxorubicin and doxorubicinol release and tumor concentration of doxorubicin. There were no significant differences of drug levels in either plasma or tumor in each group (P > .05).


CONCLUSIONS
After TACE in a rabbit model of liver cancer, testing of three different types of spherical PVA microspheres with varying degrees of porosity and compressibility showed no significant differences in the plasma doxorubicin release pattern and tumor doxorubicin uptake.
Lee
Kwang-Hun
KH
Division of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
Liapi
Eleni
E
Ventura
Veronica Prieto
VP
Buijs
Manon
M
Vossen
Josephina A
JA
Vali
Mustafa
M
Geschwind
Jean-Francois H
JF
D000818:Animals; D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D016461:Chemoembolization, Therapeutic / Q000379:methods*; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D008114:Liver Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008863:Microspheres; D011142:Polyvinyl Alcohol / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry; D016062:Porosity; D011817:Rabbits
D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; D004317:Doxorubicin; D011142:Polyvinyl Alcohol; C010013:adriamycinol