[Stability of high molecular weight anticancer agent SMANCS and its transfer from oil-phase to water-phase....

SMANCS is a conjugate protein of copolymer of styrene-maleic acid [SMA] (molecular weight: 1,500) and an antitumor protein neocarzinostatin [NCS] (molecular weight: 11,700). It has an approximate molecular weight of 15,000. We report here stability of SMANCS in oil and in water, and NCS in water, under various physical conditions such as exposure to heat, UV, pH, and ultrasonic treatment. Then, we carried out an experiment of transfer of SMANCS in lipid contrast medium [lipiodol] (oil phase) to water phase (blood and physiological saline) in vitro. Results are summarized as follows: In aqueous condition, SMANCS is far more stable than NCS against the exposure to heat and UV, though it is inactivated by excessive exposures. SMANCS in an oily medium was found much more stable even at higher temperatures than in the aqueous phase. Both SMANCS and NCS are the most stable at pH 4.9-6.0. SMANCS dissolved in oil transferred to water phase slowly, having T1/10 of 24 hours (in case of lipiodol). This helps maintaining the anticancer effect of the drug in vivo for a long period of time. SMANCS in lipiodol was found to exert its action against cultured tumor cells as in an aqueous solution.