Study on the method to avoid infusion-site adverse events following chemotherapeutic treatment with epirubicin and fosaprepitant using immortalized human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

The combination of intravenous Proemend® containing fosaprepitant meglumine, a prodrug for fosaprepitant (FAP), and Tween 80 and chemotherapy with anthracyclines, such as epirubicin (EPI), can cause infusion-site adverse events in clinical practice. In immortalized human umbilical vein endothelial (HUEhT-1) cells, the cytotoxic effects of FAP, EPI, diluted Proemend with culture medium and Tween 80 alone, and a combination of FAP and EPI, were evaluated using the WST-1 cell viability assay. FAP, EPI and diluted Proemend exhibited cytotoxicity in a concentration-dependent manner and marked synergic cytotoxicity was observed between FAP and EPI. The washing of the cell surface following incubation with diluted Proemend containing FAP and Tween-80 eliminated the synergic cytotoxicity of EPI applied thereafter. These results indicated that washing of the infusion-site vascular tissue following intravenous Proemend administration via intravenous tube flushing with an efficient amount of saline may reduce the infusion-site adverse events, which are caused by the combined use of FAP and EPI.