Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Doxorubicin eluting beads − 1: Effects of drug loading on bead characteristics and drug distribution

  • Published:
Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

DC BeadTM is a FDA cleared embolisation device for the treatment of hypervascular tumours and arteriovenous malformations. This product is currently evaluated in a number of centres in Europe as an embolic device for transarterial chemoembolisation (TACE). The beads consist of poly(vinyl alcohol) microspheres modified with sulfonic acid groups and are available at different size ranges varying from 100 to 900 μm in diameter. The beads were shown to actively sequester doxorubicin hydrochloride (dox) from solution in a time dependent upon the dose of the drug and size of the beads. Drug uptake was by an ion-exchange mechanism, and in the absence of other ions in solution, the beads could load a maximum of around 40 mg dox/mL hydrated beads, with >99% of drug being sequestered from the solution. A loading of 25 mg dox/mL beads was recommended as providing a practical therapeutic dose and optimum handling characteristics. There was a decrease in equilibrium water content of the beads with increasing dox loading, which resulted in a decrease in the average diameter of the beads and an increase in the compressive modulus. The deliverability properties, however, were not affected after drug loading. Using a variety of microscopic methods, the drug was shown to be distributed throughout the bead structure, but concentrated in the outer 20 μm surface layer, a feature related to the method of synthesis. This study characterises the properties of DC Bead loaded with dox with respect to important characteristics in embolisation and demonstrates the potential of this drug device combination for the treatment of hypervascular tumours such as hepatocellular carcinoma.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. J. M. LLOVET, J. Gastroenterol. 40(3) (2005) 225

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. J. BRUIX, M. SALA and J. LLOVET, Gastroenterology 127(5 Suppl 1) (2004) S179

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. J. M. LLOVET, M. I. REAL, X. MONTAŇA, et al., Lancet 359 (2002) 1734

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. C-M. LO, H. NGAN, W-K. TSO, et al., Hepatology 35 (2002) 1164

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. M. S. CHEN, J. Q. LI, Y. Q. ZHANG, et al., World. J. Gastroenterol. 8(1) (2002) 74

    Google Scholar 

  6. A. L. LEWIS and M. J. DRIVER, Eur. Biophram. Rev. (Summer) (2005) 82

  7. A. L. LEWIS, M. V. GONZALEZ, A. W. LLOYD, et al., JVIR 17(2) (2006) 335

    Google Scholar 

  8. D. J. KERR and S. B. KAYE, Crit. Rev. Ther. Drug Carrier Syst. 8(1) (1991) 19

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. P. M. J. FLANDROY, C. GRANDFILS and R. J. JEROME, Pharmaceutical particulate carriers: Therapeutic applications, edited by A. Rolland (Marcel Dekker Inc: New York 1993) p. 321

  10. A. LAMRECHT, H. YAMAMOTO, H. TAKEUCHI and Y. KAWASHIMA, J. Control Release 90(3) (2003) 313

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. H. R. MORRIS, C. C. HOYT and P. J. TREADO, Appl. Spectrosc. 48(7) (1994) 857

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. A. L. LEWIS, C. ADAMS, W. BUSBY, et al., J. Mater. Sci: Mater. Med. 17 (2006) 1193

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Personal communications with J.Bruix, the Barcelona Clinic for Liver Cancer, Barcelona, Spain

  14. E. A. LEFRAK, J. PITHA, S. ROSENHEIM and J. A. GOTTLIEB, Cancer 32 (1973) 302

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Z. LIU, R. CHEUNG, X. Y. WU, et al., J. Control Release 77 (2001) 213

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. W-I. CHA, S-H. HYON, O. MASANORI and Y. IKADA, Mechanical and wear properties of poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogels, Macromolecular Symposia 109 (36th Microsymposium on Macromolecules High-Swelling Gels, 1995) (1996) 115

  17. D. W. GOUPIL, H. HASSAN, T. HOLLAND, et al., Embolic compositions comprising polymers with a diol structure unit. WO 2001068720 (Biocure Inc)

  18. M. V. GONZALEZ, Y. TANG, G. J. PHILLIPS, et al., J. Mater. Sci: Mater. Med. in press

Download references

Acknowledgments

VG would like to thank Biocompatibles UK Ltd for funding her PhD. Thanks also to Dr. Simon Fitzgerald, from LabRam Laboratories, for use of the Raman Fluorescent Microscope and Dr. Jin Hai Wang, from Biocompatibles UK Ltd, for use of the fluorescent microscope.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Drug Delivery Division, Biocompatibles UK Ltd, Farnham Business Park, Weydon Lane, Farnham, Surrey, GU9 8QL, UK

    Andrew L. Lewis, M. Victoria Gonzalez, Simon W. Leppard, Joanna E. Brown & Peter W. Stratford

  2. Biomedical Materials Research Group, School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Brighton, Moulsecoomb, Brighton, BN2 4GJ, UK

    M. Victoria Gonzalez, Gary J. Phillips & Andrew W. Lloyd

Authors
  1. Andrew L. Lewis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. Victoria Gonzalez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Simon W. Leppard
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Joanna E. Brown
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Peter W. Stratford
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Gary J. Phillips
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Andrew W. Lloyd
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andrew L. Lewis.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Lewis, A.L., Gonzalez, M.V., Leppard, S.W. et al. Doxorubicin eluting beads − 1: Effects of drug loading on bead characteristics and drug distribution. J Mater Sci: Mater Med 18, 1691–1699 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10856-007-3068-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10856-007-3068-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation