A bubble bursting-mediated oral drug delivery system that enables concurrent delivery of lipophilic and hydrophilic chemotherapeutics for treating pancreatic tumors in rats

Kuan Hung Chen, Yang Bao Miao, Chun Yu Shang, Tring Yo Huang, Yu Tzu Yu, Chun Nan Yeh, Hsiang Lin Song, Chiung Tong Chen, Fwu Long Mi, Kun Ju Lin, Hsing Wen Sung

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

23 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The therapeutic outcome of pancreatic cancer remains unsatisfactory, despite many attempts to improve it. To address this challenge, an oral drug delivery system that spontaneously initiates an effervescent reaction to form gas-bubble carriers is proposed. These carriers concurrently deliver lipophilic paclitaxel (PTX) and hydrophilic gemcitabine (GEM) in the small intestine. The bursting of the bubbles promotes the intestinal absorption of the drugs. The antitumor efficacy of this proposed oral drug delivery system is evaluated in rats with experimentally created orthotopic pancreatic tumors. The combined administration of equivalent amounts of PTX and GEM via the intravenous (i.v.) route, which is clinically used for treating pancreatic cancer, serves as a control. Following oral administration, the lipophilic PTX is initially absorbed through the intestinal lymphatic system and then enters systemic circulation, whereas the hydrophilic GEM is directly taken up into the blood circulation, ultimately accumulating in the tumorous pancreatic tissues. A pharmacokinetic study reveals that the orally delivered formulation has none of the toxic side-effects that are associated with the i.v. injected formulation; changes the pharmacokinetic profiles of the drugs; and increases the bioavailability of PTX. The oral formulation has a greater impact than the i.v. formulation on tumor-specific stromal depletion, resulting in greater inhibition of tumor growth with no evidence of metastatic spread. As well as enhancing the therapeutic efficacy, this unique approach of oral chemotherapy has potential for use on outpatients, greatly improving their quality of life.

Original languageEnglish
Article number120157
JournalBiomaterials
Volume255
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2020

Keywords

  • Bubble bursting
  • Effervescent reaction
  • Gemcitabine
  • Paclitaxel
  • Pancreatic adenocarcinoma

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Bioengineering
  • Ceramics and Composites
  • Biophysics
  • Biomaterials
  • Mechanics of Materials

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