Reduced dose-limiting toxicity of intraperitoneal mitoxantrone chemotherapy using cardiolipin-based anionic liposomes

Abstract Intraperitoneal chemotherapy confers limited clinical benefit as a result of the dose-limiting toxicity of anticancer drugs. We aimed to develop optimized liposomes for mitoxantrone (MTO) administration that provide high encapsulation efficiency and increase the therapeutic index. Cationic MTO was loaded onto anionic liposomes by electrostatic surface complexation. The anticancer activity was evaluated in a peritoneal carcinomatosis model. The retention of MTO at the tumor site was monitored by molecular imaging. MTO loading efficiencies by electrostatic complexation were >95% for all anionic liposomes but From the Clinical Editor The authors report the development of optimized liposomes for intraperitoneal mitoxantrone delivery that provides high encapsulation efficiency and increases the therapeutic index. Cardiolipin liposomes exhibited the strongest binding affinity for mitoxantrone, along with the highest anti-cancer activity and lowest toxicity, including negligible cardiotoxicity.