Evaluation of different calibrated spherical polyvinyl alcohol microspheres in transcatheter arterial chemoembolization: VX2 tumor model in rabbit liver

Abstract

Purpose: To assess whether porosity and compressibility of calibrated spherical polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) microspheres affect doxorubicin plasma and tumor concentrations after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in a VX2 rabbit model.

Materials and methods: Fifteen rabbits were divided into three groups of five rabbits each. Three different types of calibrated spherical PVA microspheres with variable levels of porosity and compressibility were blindly evaluated. TACE was performed by injecting a mixture of doxorubicin (5 mg) and iodized oil (0.5 mL) followed by injection of the embolic material (0.3-0.5 mL). Plasma concentrations of doxorubicin and doxorubicinol were analyzed 20, 40, 60, and 120 minutes and 2 days after TACE, and liver tissue and tumor doxorubicin concentrations were measured 2 days after TACE.

Results: All calibrated spherical PVA microspheres showed similar patterns of plasma doxorubicin and doxorubicinol release and tumor concentration of doxorubicin. There were no significant differences of drug levels in either plasma or tumor in each group (P > .05).

Conclusions: After TACE in a rabbit model of liver cancer, testing of three different types of spherical PVA microspheres with varying degrees of porosity and compressibility showed no significant differences in the plasma doxorubicin release pattern and tumor doxorubicin uptake.

Conflict of interest statement

None of the authors have identified a conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1

Images from cross-section scanning electron microscopy of Contour SE (a), prototype A (b), and prototype B (c) microspheres. Contour SE is the most compressible microsphere, followed by prototype B and prototype A. The Contour SE microsphere exhibits large macropores distributed in the microsphere center surrounded by a microporous structure toward the exterior surface (arrows in a). The number and size of macropores decreases in prototype B (arrows in c), whereas prototype A (b) shows no macropores.

Figure 2

Graph shows plasma doxorubicin levels at sequential time points after TACE.

Figure 3

Graph shows plasma doxorubicinol levels at sequential time points after TACE.

Figure 4

Bar chart shows doxorubicin concentration in tumor 2 days after TACE.