Synergistic Effect of Doxorubicin-Thermo-Iodized Oil Pickering Emulsions on the Interventional...

Tumor recurrence and metastasis are important factors affecting the efficacy of transhepatic arterial chemoembolization. To prolong the survival of patients, comprehensive interventional therapy and antitumor drugs that can control their release need to be developed.

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) nanogels are firstly self-assembled with doxorubicin, the constructed doxorubicin-loaded nanogels were then emulsified with iodized oil under high-shear conditions to form doxorubicin-iodized oil nanogel suspensions (Dox-TIPE). The structural characteristics, thermosensitive properties and rheological properties were evaluated. The in vitro biocompatibility and drug release behavior of Dox-TIPE were assayed and in vivo interventional therapy was examined in a VX2 rabbit liver cancer model.

Dox-TIPE can effectively exert the dual advantages of chemoembolization therapy, achieving a superior therapeutic effect on inhibiting rabbit liver tumor growth. It promotes TUNEL expression in the tumor boundary region while reducing Ki67 expression, which results in decreased tumor cell proliferation and increased apoptosis rates. Furthermore, Dox-TIPE effectively suppresses the expressions of HIF-1α, VEGF, and CD31 in tumor target areas, thereby preventing the formation of tumor neovascularization and collateral circulation.

We successfully produced Dox-TIPE which offers a multifunctional platform combining embolization, chemotherapy, imaging, and immunomodulation. This novel embolic material shows strong potential to address current limitations of TACE in liver cancer treatment and may serve as a promising candidate for next-generation embolization therapies.