No abstract

The aim of this study was the encapsulation of trans-dehydrocrotonin (t-DCTN) and its inclusion complexes with hydropropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HP-beta-CD) in liposomes to improve t-DCTN antitumor activity. The in vitro kinetic profiles of t-DCTN-loaded liposomes (LD) and t-DCTN:HP-beta-CD-loaded liposomes (LC) were evaluated using the dialysis technique. The antitumor activity of LD and LC were investigated against Sarcoma 180 in Swiss mice. Histopathological and hematological analyses were carried out. The amounts of t-DCTN and t-DCTN:HP-beta-CD inclusion complex encapsulated in liposomes were equivalent to 1 mg of t-DCTN. The encapsulation efficiencies of LD and LC were 95.0 +/- 3.8% and 91.1 +/- 5.6%, respectively. In relation to kinetics, the drug release profiles of t-DCTN are in substantial agreement with the Fickian model. The treatment of animals with LD and LC produced tumor inhibitions of 79.4 +/- 9.6% and 63.5 +/- 5.5%, respectively. The liposomal encapsulation of t-DCTN by entrapment in the phospholipid bilayer increased at twice the antitumor activity. Moreover, the liposomal formulations reduced the hepatotoxicity effect of the drug and no significant hematological toxicity was observed in the treated animals. However, the counting of platelets was slightly decreased. Thus, the results show that the development of liposomal formulations containing t-DCTN or t-DCTN:HP-beta-CD is an important advance for enabling this drug to be use in therapy.

This study evaluated the in vivo antitumor potential of the recombinant lectin from seeds of Cratylia mollis (rCramoll) expressed in Escherichia coli, free or encapsulated in stealth liposomes, using mice transplanted with sarcoma 180. rCramoll-loaded stealth liposomes (rCramoll-lipo) were formulated by hydration of the lipid film followed by cycles of freezing and thawing, and about 60% of rCramoll was encapsulated. This novel preparation showed particle size, polydispersity index, and pH suitable for the evaluation of antitumor activity in vivo. Tumor growth inhibition rates were 59% for rCramoll and 75% for rCramoll-lipo. Histopathological analysis of the experimental groups showed that both free and encapsulated lectin caused no changes in the kidneys of animals. Hematological analysis revealed that treatment with rCramoll-lipo significantly increased leukocyte concentration when compared with the untreated and rCramoll group. In conclusion, the encapsulation of rCramoll in stealth liposomes improves its antitumor activity without substantial toxicity; this approach was more successful than the previous results reported for pCramoll loaded into conventional liposomes. At this point, a crucial difference between the antitumor action of free and encapsulated rCramoll was found along with their effects on immune cells. Further investigations are required to elucidate the mechanism(s) of the antitumor effect induced by rCramoll.