[Preclinical studies of intra-arterial chemotherapy using mitomycin C microspheres]

Heated albumin microspheres 45 +/- 8 microns dia. containing 5% mitomycin C were infused into rabbit femoral artery to assess the depot effects. MMC levels were measured in the muscle and VX -2 tumor tissues fed by the femoral artery as well as in the drainage vein blood. Furthermore, the histologic changes in the VX -2 tumor and the MMC microspheres entrapped in the arterioles were surveyed microscopically. Drug concentration in the case of MMC microspheres was maintained at high levels in both tissue and venous blood over 4 hours, but in the rabbits infused conventional MMC, drug levels decreased below the assay limitation 2 hours after injection. The microscopic findings 2 weeks later revealed necrotic VX -2 tumor tissue as well as the MMC microspheres remaining in the arterioles .