New local ganirelix sustained release therapy for uterine leiomyoma. Evaluation in a preclinical organ model.

Currently, there is a limited number of treatment options available for patients with symptomatic leiomyomas, and surgical removal is by far the most frequent procedure. Previous studies found that GnRH agonists and antagonists acting through GnRH receptors led to cell death and decreased extracellular synthesis in cultured leiomyoma cells. In this study, we encapsulated the GnRH antagonist ganirelix in PLGA microspheres contained in an alginate scaffold that also supports a leiomyoma ex vivo tissue explant. Microspheres maintained ganirelix concentration stably during six days of culture, inducing significant cell death in 50-55% of tumor cells. Although no changes were observed in the expression of extracellular matrix genes, a decreased expression of the Nuclear Factor of Activated T cells 5, a transcription factor involved in osmotic stress and tumor size. Interestingly, all tumors analyzed experienced apoptosis independently of the original driver mutation. These data indicate that local therapy of ganirelix would induce tumor reduction in a wide range of uterine leiomyomas.