Pharmacokinetics of mitomycin C following hepatic arterial chemoembolization with gelfoam

Twelve mongrel dogs were randomly allocated into two groups using matched paired-design. Catheters were inserted into the hepatic artery, hepatic vein and the femoral vein, respectively. In the first group, gelfoam supplemented with mitomycin C (MMC) was injected into the hepatic artery, whereas the second group received a hepatic arterial injection of MMC solution alone. Simultaneous blood sampling from the hepatic and femoral vein at regular intervals was performed. MMC concentrations in plasma was determined using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the pharmacokinetics of MMC were determined. MMC concentrations in hepatic and femoral veins did not differ and no significant difference in pharmacokinetics was found when comparing MMC administration into the hepatic artery with or without gelfoam supplementation. Thus, our results revealed that gelfoam could not delay the clearance of MMC from the liver.