Anti-tumor effect of intraperitoneal administration of cisplatin-loaded microspheres to human tumor xenografted nude mice

Abstract This study evaluates the anti-tumor effect of cisplatin-loaded microspheres (CDDP-MS) against peritoneal carcinomatosis using human tumor xenografts. The incorporated CDDP was released from CDDP-MS for 3 weeks in vivo as well as in vitro. CDDP-MS at a dose of 35 mg/kg (at maximal tolerable dose (MTD)) showed effective anti-tumor activity (tumor growth inhibition rate (IR)=70.3%) against Li-7 (human liver cancer) xenografts transplanted into the peritoneal cavity. This procedure also resulted in increased life span (ILS (%)=47.2%), whereas CDDP dissolved in saline solution (CDDP–SOL) at a dose of 8 mg/kg (at MTD) was ineffective (IR=15.7%, ILS=2.6%). Likewise, CDDP-MS (35 mg/kg) significantly prolonged the mean survival time (ILS=50.8%) compared with a CDDP–SOL group (8 mg/kg) (ILS=13.1%) in the mice with Li-7 xenografts transplanted into the spleen. Furthermore, CDDP-MS showed markedly effective anti-tumor activity (IR=82.2%) against H-154 (human stomach cancer) xenografts, in which CDDP–SOL was effective (IR=69.5%) at the MTDs. The suppressive effect of CDDP-MS on accumulation of malignant ascites was intimately related to unchanged CDDP concentration in ascites. These results demonstrated that the administration of CDDP-MS resulted in an unchanged CDDP concentration in ascites, and induced a sustained tumor growth inhibition along with a prolonged survival time.