title: Synergistic inhibition of malignant melanoma proliferation by melphalan combined with ultrasound and microbubbles.
abstract: The cavitational effects of ultrasound (US) exposure induce transient pores on the cell membrane (sonoporation). Sonoporation have been applied in the field of cancer therapy by promoting delivery of extracellular molecules such as drugs and genes into cytoplasm. In addition, it is known that using US together with microbubbles (MB) elevates permeability of these agents. In this study, by applying the US-MB strategy for melanoma chemotherapy, we evaluated the antitumor effect of melphalan combined with US-MB on a melanoma cell line (C32) in vitro and in vivo. The in vitro cytotoxic effect of the melphalan with US-MB was greater than that of melphalan alone or melphalan in combination with US. In vivo experiments using xenografts, intratumoral injection of melphalan and MB with US exposure led to a greater degree of tumor regression than did the intratumoral injection of the melphalan alone or melphalan in combination with US. These results suggest that US-MB promotes the antitumor effect of melphalan by increasing delivery of molecules into cells and that this strategy may become an effective method of adjuvant therapy against malignant melanoma.
authors: Department of Anatomy, Fukuoka University School of Medicine, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka City, Japan.
authors: Miki
authors: M
authors: Matsuo
authors: Kazuki
authors: K
authors: Yamaguchi
authors: Loreto B
authors: LB
authors: Feril
authors: Hitomi
authors: H
authors: Endo
authors: Koichi
authors: K
authors: Ogawa
authors: Katsuro
authors: K
authors: Tachibana
authors: Juichiro
authors: J
authors: Nakayama
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018906:Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating; D049108:Cell Enlargement / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D008558:Melphalan / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D045423:Microbubbles; D014464:Ultrasonic Therapy / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D018906:Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating; D008558:Melphalan