[Study on the mitoxantrone carboxymethyl starch microspheres for hepatic artery chemoembolization]

Area of Science:

• Materials Science: Development of novel drug delivery systems.
• Polymer Chemistry: Synthesis and characterization of carboxymethyl starch microspheres.

Context:

• Hepatic cancer treatment often involves chemotherapy with drugs like mitoxantrone.
• Conventional administration can lead to systemic toxicity and reduced efficacy.
• Microsphere-based drug delivery offers potential for targeted and sustained drug release.

Purpose:

• To optimize the preparation of plain carboxymethyl starch microspheres (CMS-MS) using a uniform design method.
• To prepare and characterize mitoxantrone-loaded carboxymethyl starch microspheres (DHAQ-CMS-MS) via an absorption method.
• To evaluate the in vitro drug release, stability, and in vivo pharmacokinetics of DHAQ-CMS-MS.

Summary:

• Optimized CMS-MS preparation yielded microspheres with an average diameter of 75.71 microns and drug loading of 13.21%.
• In vitro release of mitoxantrone (DHAQ) from DHAQ-CMS-MS followed a single exponential function.
• Pharmacokinetic studies in rabbits demonstrated significantly prolonged drug retention in the hepatic vein and peripheral circulation compared to the solution group.

Impact:

• The developed DHAQ-CMS-MS formulation is convenient for clinical application and improves drug stability.
• Sustained drug concentration at the target site, indicated by increased Mean Residence Time (MRT), is favorable for hepatic cancer treatment.
• This microsphere technology offers a promising approach for targeted chemotherapy, potentially improving therapeutic outcomes and reducing side effects.