Doxorubicin-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) microspheres prepared using the solid-in-oil-in-water method for the transarterial chemoembolization of a liver tumor

• Doxorubicin-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) microspheres were fabricated.
• Microspheres were prepared by solid-in-oil-in-water emulsification method.
• Developed microspheres were used in transarterial chemotherapy for liver tumors.
• Lower systemic exposure of drug in microspheres-administered group was observed.
• Improved antitumor efficacy of drug-loaded microspheres for liver tumors was shown.

Doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres (MSs) were fabricated using the solid-in-oil-in-water (S/O/W) emulsification method for transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) of a liver tumor. DOX-loaded PLGA MSs with a mean diameter of 26 μm and a spherical shape were prepared. The biodegradation of PLGA MSs was observed in serum using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Drug release from the PLGA MSs was accelerated at an acidic pH (pH 5.5) compared to a normal physiological pH (pH 7.4). According to the results of a pharmacokinetic study in rats, the area under the curve (AUC) value of a drug, which indicates the systemic exposure extent of the drug, of the PLGA MSs group was 29.9% of that of a hepatic arterial injection (HAI) group. The DOX concentration ratio for liver tumors compared to normal livers was significantly higher in the PLGA MSs group than that of the HAI group (p < 0.05). After the TACE procedure was performed with DOX-PLGA MSs in a rat hepatoma model, the mean size increment of tumor in DOX-PLGA MSs group was found to be lower than that of the HAI group, and the viable portion of the DOX-PLGA MSs group was less than the other groups (p < 0.05). All these findings suggested that the developed DOX-loaded PLGA MSs fabricated with the S/O/W method can be used as a promising drug delivery system in TACE for liver tumors.

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