Lipiodol ultra-fluid: an antitumor agent-in vitro study

Lipiodol Ultra-Fluid (LUF), a contrast medium for the diagnosis and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is used by hepatic intra-arterial infusion. Hepatoma cells are capable of active uptake of LUF and retaining it for prolonged periods of time. These characteristics have important therapeutic potential for the targeting of anticancer drugs and have lead us to form an intratumoral diffuser. But, before in vivo studies, we have investigated in vitro LUF effects on various cell species in order to explain and refine the lipiodol chemotherapy. The antiproliferative and cytotoxic effects of LUF on HepG2 (human hepatoma cells), MCF-7 (human breast cancer cells) murine macrophages and human hepatocytes, were assessed by Trypan blue exclusion and lactico-dehydrogenase extracellular tests. We demonstrated the dose and time-dependent antiproliferative and cytotoxic activities of LUF on cells. Cytotoxicity was different according to cells species, whether or not they had cancerous characteristics and phagocytosis function: this cytotoxicity was very significant on macrophages and was greater for cancerous cells than for human hepatocytes in primary culture. We showed in vitro, for the first time, that LUF was an antiproliferative and cytotoxic agent, because of its active uptake and selective retention which lead to cellular death due to necrosis by lipoperoxidation increase.