Paclitaxel-loaded expansile nanoparticles improve survival following cytoreductive surgery in pleural mesothelioma xenografts.

OBJECTIVE

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a lethal malignancy with poor survival and high local recurrence rates despite multimodal therapy with cytoreduction and chemoradiation. We evaluated the antitumor efficacy of a paclitaxel-loaded pH-responsive expansile nanoparticle (PTX-eNP) in 2 clinically relevant murine xenograft models of malignant pleural mesothelioma.

METHODS

Luciferase-transfected MSTO-211H human mesothelioma cells were injected into the thoracic cavity of immunodeficient Nu/J mice. Tumor burden was monitored by bioluminescent imaging. Animals were randomized into 2 models of disease treatment chemotherapy with PTX-eNPs alone delivered locally for early limited disease or cytoreductive surgery plus local PTX-eNP chemotherapy for advanced disease. Within each disease model, anti-tumor efficacy of PTX-eNP was compared against standard formulation paclitaxel and drug-empty nanoparticles. Influence on survival was calculated. Fluorescently labeled PTX-eNPs and immunohistochemistry evaluated in vivo drug localization to tumor.

RESULTS

Intrathoracic injection of MSTO-211H resulted in large tumor deposits distributed within the pleural space of the murine thoracic cavity. Local multidose treatment with PTX-eNPs alone in limited stage disease more than doubled survival compared with drug-empty nanoparticles (P ≤ .0001) and standard formulation paclitaxel (P = .0004). In the model of advanced disease, local multidose treatment with PTX-eNPs following cytoreductive surgery also prolonged survival by 126% and 69.4% compared with drug-empty nanoparticles (P = .0018) and standard formulation paclitaxel (P = .03457), respectively. Immunohistology demonstrated PTX-eNP accumulation within tumor cells in vitro and in vivo.

CONCLUSIONS

Local delivery of paclitaxel via eNPs confers prolonged survival in a murine model of malignant pleural mesothelioma as single modality treatment for limited disease and in combination with cytoreductive surgery for advanced disease.