Immunological effects of taxol and adryamicin in breast cancer patients

Antineoplastic chemotherapy still consists in the major first-line therapeutics against cancer. Several reports have described the immunomodulatory effects of these drugs based on in vitro treatment, but no previous data are known about these effects in patients and its association with immunological-mediated toxicity. In this study, we first characterize the immunological profile of advanced breast cancer patients treated with doxorubicin and paclitaxel protocols, immediately after chemotherapy infusion. Our findings included an immediate plasmatic reduction in IL-1, IL-10, and TNF-α levels in doxorubicin-treated patients, as well as high levels of IL-10 in paclitaxel patients. Further, it was demonstrated that both drugs led to leukocytes oxidative burst impairment. In vitro analysis was performed exposing healthy blood to both chemotherapics in the same concentration and time of exposition of patients, resulting in low IL-10 and high IL-1β in doxorubicin exposition, as low TNF-α and high IL-1 in paclitaxel treatment. Nitric oxide levels were not altered in both in vivo and in vitro treatments. In conclusion, our data revealed for the first time that the immediate effects of chemotherapy could be mediated by cytokines signaling in patients and that the results observed in patients could be a resultant of host immune cells activation.

Development of a local perivascular paclitaxel delivery system for hemodialysis vascular access dysfunction: polymer preparation and in vitro activity

Hemodialysis vascular access dysfunction (HVAD) is currently a huge clinical problem. The major cause of HVAD is venous stenosis (as a result of venous neointimal hyperplasia) which leads to thrombosis in polytetrafluoroethylene dialysis access grafts and fistulae. Despite the magnitude of the clinical problem there are currently no effective therapeutic interventions for this condition. In an attempt to reduce the morbidity associated with HVAD, we have developed and validated a local perivascular paclitaxel release system for use in a pig model of arteriovenous graft stenosis. Ethylene vinyl acetate polymers with 5% paclitaxel were formulated. The release profile of paclitaxel was then manipulated to maximize its biological impact in the in vivo situation. In vitro experiments were performed to confirm that the paclitaxel released from the polymer was biologically active against cell types that were similar to those present in the in vivo lesion of neointimal hyperplasia. Our results demonstrate that the paclitaxel polymer wraps which we have developed are mechanically stable with a burst release phase followed by a slower continuous release phase. The paclitaxel released from these polymeric wraps retains its physicochemical and biological properties and is able to inhibit the proliferation of smooth muscle cells, endothelial cells and fibroblasts in vitro. We believe that these paclitaxel-loaded polymeric wraps could be ideally suited for perivascular drug delivery in the context of dialysis access grafts and fistulae.

Cytotoxicity of some potential DNA intercalators (carbazole, acridine and anthracene derivatives) evaluated through neutrophil chemiluminescence

A modifying effect of potential DNA intercalators, belonging to a group of carbazole, acridine and anthracene derivatives, on the course of luminol-dependent chemiluminescence of neutrophils (polymorphonuclear leucocytes; PMNL) in the process of phagocytosis was studied. This effect was also examined in reactive-oxygen-species-generating non-cellular reaction systems consisted of myeloperoxidase or xanthine oxidase. Adriamycin (Doxorubicin), which is widely applied to neoplasm therapy, was used as a reference intercalator in the conducted experiments. It was demonstrated that some structurally different derivatives of carbazole inhibited the light emission from N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP)-induced neutrophils to the same degree as adriamycin. It can be suggested that the same inhibitory effect was caused by either a different cellular distribution of the derivatives or different interactions of the derivatives with reactive oxygen species in the investigated systems. Measurements of chemiluminescence suggested that the thiol group in one of the carbazole derivatives could strongly interfere with oxidative cell metabolism. In contrast to the analogous derivative of carbazole, both anthracene and acridine derivatives, possessing an N-1'-hydroxyethyl-ethylenodiamino group, induced different increases in chemiluminescence accompanying the process of neutrophil phagocytosis. Cytotoxicity of the investigated derivatives, being tested previously in cancer cells with a sulphorhodamine B assay, was found to possess a specific representation in the complex picture of the derivative-caused modification both of neutrophil and enzymatic non-cellular chemiluminescence. We suggest that chemiluminescence assays may serve as a helpful tool in the primary screening of drug cytotoxicity.