Feasibility, safety and dosimetry of intramural administration of 32P-oligonucleotide-mediating beta-particle delivery to prevent restenosis

Biological evaluation and drug delivery application of cationically modified phospholipid polymers

Phospholipid-like polymers based on 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine containing varying amounts of the cationically charged monomer choline methacrylate (CMA) from 0 to 30 wt% have been prepared. Substrates coated with these materials were shown to bind significantly lower amounts of specific proteins compared to the uncoated control. ELISA assays demonstrated that fibrinogen did not bind appreciably to coatings containing 0-30% CMA, whereas albumin binding was seen to increase significantly as the CMA content of the coating increased. Platelet activation assays, measurement of plasma coagulation time and whole blood contact scanning electron micrography demonstrated that the haemocompatibility of the coatings was shown to be unaffected by the CMA component. The CMA polymer coatings have been shown to absorb/adsorb many different drug compounds covering a wide range of molecular weights and release these in a controlled fashion. The range of cationic polymers assessed can interact with the net negative charge found in many large therapeutic biomolecules, such as DNA fragments used in gene therapy, that may be of interest in the preventative treatment of conditions such as restenosis. Coronary stents coated with 6% or 20% CMA-containing polymers have been shown to load and release this type of genetic material irrespective of molecular weight of the biomolecule. Ex vivo and in vivo studies have shown that these compounds can be delivered to the stented section of the vessel with very low quantities delivered outside the vessel target area.

Feasibility study and dosimetric assessment of radiolabeled drugs injected to the coronary arterial wall to prevent restenosis

PURPOSE

Intramural delivery of a P-32 radiolabeled oligonucleotide (ODN) using an infiltrating catheter has been proposed recently to potentially reduce restenosis in coronary arteries and tested on a limited number of human subjects. However, because of the low efficiency of drug retention (approximately 2-5%) after the initial washout period from this technique, the dose levels to nontarget organs may be significant and thus may require a detailed investigation. The radiation dose distributions resulting from this technique is investigated using the MIRD formalism and Monte Carlo calculations.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The total activity of the P-32 ODN to be injected during treatment to deliver a therapeutic dose of approximately 30 Gy to the arterial wall is estimated taking into account the drug delivery efficacy of the infiltrating device (approximately 2-5% typical). Using pharmacokinetic data for P-32 ODN, we estimate the dose to healthy organs resulting from the systemic fraction that is released into the circulatory system during washout (>95% typical). Variabilities in the biological parameters are also identified as important sources of error in the prescribed dose.

RESULTS

A limitation to this technique is the poor accuracy in delivering the prescribed dose due to variability in the amount of drug delivered. Dose to organs is also an important limitation. For example, our calculation indicate that approximately 37 MBq (1 mCi) of P-32 labeled ODN are needed to deliver 30 Gy to the arterial wall assuming a delivery efficiency of 2-5% and a 24-h residence time. This may result in doses of approximately 1 Gy to the spleen and 0.2-0.4 Gy to the liver, kidneys and lungs (95% confidence interval).

CONCLUSION

This novel therapy suffers from serious limitations. It is doubtful that a therapeutic dose can be delivered accurately, safely and effectively to the arterial wall because of the poor delivery efficacy and extreme variability found in drug delivery experiments. Also, dose levels to healthy organs appears to be too high to recommend the use of this technique in human experiments.

Monte Carlo calculations of dose distribution for intramural delivery of radioisotopes using a direct injection balloon catheter

PURPOSE

A unique method of delivering radiation dose to the coronary vessel wall to prevent restenosis is by direct injection of radioactive compounds into the vessel wall using a specially designed angioplasty balloon catheter. The radiation dose distribution resulting from such intramural delivery was investigated using Monte Carlo simulations.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The radioisotope source distribution was modeled for two configurations within the vessel wall: (1) uniform to a depth of 0.5 mm and (2) confined to discrete pools surrounding the delivery injection ports. Monte Carlo MCNP4B computer simulations were utilized to estimate the associated radiation dose distribution for the following radioisotopes: 188Re, 186Re, 32P, 153Sm, 111In, 123I, and 99mTc.

RESULTS

For the uniform case where the radioisotopes are distributed uniformly to the depth of 0.5 mm into the vessel wall, an essentially constant radiation dose is delivered within the source distribution. Outside of the source volume, the dose falls off at a rate depending on the emission properties of the particular radioisotope. The nonuniform case involving discrete pools of activity showed the dose distribution being confined largely to the regions surrounding the delivery ports with significant regions between these ports receiving very little dose.

CONCLUSIONS

Direct injection of selected radioisotopes into the arterial wall appears to represent a potentially effective method for delivering radiation dose for the prevention of restenosis. Sufficiently high doses may be obtained from relatively low activity and the dose falls off rapidly outside of the target area for certain radioisotopes.