[Mucopenetrating nanoparticles: vehicles for the oral administration of paclitaxel]. / Nanoparticules mucopénétrantes: véhicules pour l'administration orale du paclitaxel.

Paclitaxel is an anticancer drug used as solution for perfusion for the treatment of certain types of cancers. In the last years, a number of strategies have been proposed for the development of an oral formulation of this drug. However, this task is quite complicated due to the poor aqueous solubility of paclitaxel as well as the fact that this compound is substrate of the intestinal P-glycoprotein and the cytochrome P450 enzymatic complex. In this work, we have developed pegylated nanoparticles with mucopenetrating properties in order to conduct paclitaxel onto the surface of the enterocyte. These nanoparticles displayed a size of about 180 nm and a drug loading close to 15% by weight. The pharmacokinetic study in mice has shown that these nanoparticles were capable to offer therapeutic plasma levels of paclitaxel up to 72 hours. In addition, the oral relative bioavailability of paclitaxel when loaded in nanoparticles pegylated with poly(ethylene glycol) 2000 (PEG) was found to be 85%. In a subcutaneous model of tumour in mice, these pegylated nanoparticles administered orally every 3 days have demonstrated a similar efficacy than Taxol® administered intravenously every day during 9 days. All of these results suggested that these pegylated nanoparticles were capable to cross the mucus layer of the gut and, then, reach the surface of the enterocytes. The PEG molecules would facilitate the adhesion of nanoparticles to this epithelial surface, minimise the pre-systemic metabolism of paclitaxel and, thus, promote its absorption.

Increased oral bioavailability of paclitaxel by its encapsulation through complex formation with cyclodextrins in poly(anhydride) nanoparticles.

The aim of this work was to study the oral bioavailability in rats of paclitaxel (PTX) when encapsulated as a complex with cyclodextrins in poly(anhydride) nanoparticles (NP). For this purpose three different cyclodextrins were selected: beta-cyclodextrin (CD), 2-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HPCD) and 6-monodeoxy-6-monoamino-beta-cyclodextrin (NHCD). A single dose of 10mg paclitaxel per kg body weight as PTX-cyclodextrin nanoparticles was used. Plasma curves were characterised by a plateau of paclitaxel concentration close to the C(max) from T(max) till 24h post-administration. For PTX-CD NP and PTX-HPCD NP, these sustained levels of the anticancer drug were found to be between 27 and 33-fold higher than the reported value of drug activity whereas the relative oral bioavailability of paclitaxel was calculated to be higher than 80%. These facts would be directly related with a synergistic effect obtained by the combination of the bioadhesive properties of poly(anhydride) nanoparticles and the inhibitory effect of cyclodextrins on the activity of P-glycoprotein and cythocrome P450.