Studies on pharmaceutical modification of anticancer agents. I. Enhancement of lymphatic transport of mitomycin C by parenteral emulsions.

Abstract

To prevent metastasis along the lymph pathways, it is greatly necessary to create a selectively high concentration of anticancer agent in the lymphatic system. The enhancement of lymphatic transport of Mitomycin C (MMC) was accomplished by the injection of fat emulsion to tissue spaces. A comparison of concentration of MMC in thoracic duct lymph and plasma after intraperitoneal and intramuscular injection showed that W/O emulsion was the most effective and followed by O/W emulsion and aqueous solution. In O/W emulsion, the one emulsified by gelatin observed to facillitate the lymphatic transport whereas the one emulsified by polysorbate 80 had little effect. This difference appears to depend upon the binding to oil droplets, because MMC was bound to oil only in the emulsion by gelatin. A measuring of oil in thoracic duct lymph and lymph nodes indicated that MMC did not always accompany with oil in the lymphatic system.