Biodegradable pH-responsive micelles loaded with 8-hydroxyquinoline glycoconjugates for Warburg effect based tumor targeting.

Biodegradable triblock copolymer poly(ethylene glycol)-b-polycarbonate-b-oligo([R]-3-hydroxybutyrate) was prepared via metal-free ring-opening polymerization of ketal protected six-membered cyclic carbonate followed by esterification with bacterial oligo([R]-3-hydroxybutyrate) (oPHB). Amphiphilic triblock copolymer self-organizes into micelles with a diameter of ~25 nm. Acid-triggered hydrolysis of ketal groups to two hydroxyl groups causes an increase in hydrophilicity of the hydrophobic micelle core, resulting in the micelles swell and drug release. oPHB was added as core-forming block to increase the stability of prepared micelles in all pH (7.4, 6.4, 5.5) studied. Doxorubicin and 8-hydroxyquinoline glucose- and galactose conjugates were loaded in the micelles. In vitro drug release profiles in PBS buffers with different pH showed that a small amount of loaded drug was released in PBS at pH 7.4, while the drug was released much faster at pH 5.5. MTT assay showed that the blank micelles were non-toxic to different cell lines, while glycoconjugates-loaded micelles, showed significantly increased ability to inhibit the proliferation of MCF-7 and HCT-116 cells compared to free glycoconjugates. The glycoconjugation of anti-cancer drugs and pH-responsive nanocarriers have separately shown great potential to increase the tumor-targeted drug delivery efficiency. The combination of drug glycoconjugation and the use of pH-responsive nanocarrier opens up new possibilities to develop novel strategies for efficient tumor therapy.

Drug design strategies with metal-hydroxyquinoline complexes.

Introduction: 8-hydroxyquinoline derivatives and their complexes with transition metals are the subject of many studies due to their anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-infective, and antidiabetic activities.Areas covered: Within this article, the authors review the synthesis and current applications of metal-8-hydroxyquinoline complexes in drug design with a critical overview of the latest advancements in the field.Expert opinion: Metal-8-hydroxyquinoline complexes are especially interesting because of their simple synthesis procedures and possible applications in modern medicine. The complexation between transition metal ions and 8-hydroxyquinoline or its derivatives is achieved via their O and N atoms. The main problem with their application is lipophilicity. This particular property has an impact on their solubility, biological activity, transport through the cell membrane, construction of the complex with a receptor, and development of drugs. Furthermore, in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and brain cancers, the passage of the complexes through the blood-brain barrier can only be ensured through novel drug design.

Manganese-52: applications in cell radiolabelling and liposomal nanomedicine PET imaging using oxine (8-hydroxyquinoline) as an ionophore.

The ionophore 8-hydroxyquinoline (oxine) has been used to radiolabel cells and liposomal medicines with 111In and, more recently, 89Zr, for medical nuclear imaging applications. Oxine has also shown promising ionophore activity for the positron-emitting radionuclide 52Mn that should allow imaging of labelled cells and nanomedicines for long periods of time (>14 days). However, to date, the radiometal complex formed and its full labelling capabilities have not been fully characterised. Here, we provide supporting evidence of the formation of [52Mn]Mn(oxinate)2 as the metastable complex responsible for its ionophore activity. The cell labelling properties of [52Mn]Mn(oxinate)2 were investigated with various cell lines. The liposomal nanomedicine, DOXIL® (Caelyx) was also labelled with [52Mn]Mn(oxinate)2 and imaged in vivo using PET imaging. [52Mn]Mn(oxinate)2 was able to label various cell lines with moderate efficiency (15-53%), however low cellular retention of 52Mn (21-25% after 24 h) was observed which was shown not to be due to cell death. PET imaging of [52Mn]Mn-DOXIL at 1 h and 24 h post-injection showed the expected pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of this stealth liposome, but at 72 h post-injection showed a profile matching that of free 52Mn, consistent with drug release. We conclude that oxine is an effective ionophore for 52Mn, but high cellular efflux of the isotope limits its use for prolonged cell tracking. [52Mn]Mn(oxinate)2 is effective for labelling and tracking DOXIL in vivo. The release of free radionuclide after liposome extravasation could provide a non-invasive method to monitor drug release in vivo.

Biopolymer strategy for the treatment of Wilson's disease.

Wilson's disease is a genetic disorder that causes excessive accumulation of copper in the body, leading to toxic damage, especially in the liver and nervous system. The current treatment cause burdensome side effects. We describe the use of chemically modified biopolymer carriers based on microcrystalline cellulose and chitosan containing the highly specific copper chelator 8-hydroxyquinoline as a new type of therapy for Wilson's disease. The chelators can scavenges copper ions released from food during digestion and copper ions present in secretions in the gastrointestinal tract. Because the chelator is covalently bound to indigestible biopolymer carriers (crosslinked chitosan or modified cellulose), it is not taken up by the gastrointestinal tract and it can be eliminated through the feces, avoiding unwanted side effects. This concept was tested on Wistar rats, which received a radioactive 64CuCl2 solution together with the polymers with covalently bound 8-hydroxyquinoline through a gastric probe. 64Copper complex uptake from the gastrointestinal tract was significantly inhibited by both chelating polymers. With the modified polymers, the presence of 64Cu was detected mostly in the gastrointestinal tract, not in the internal organs. These findings indicate modified cellulose and crosslinked chitosan, with covalently bound 8-hydroxyquinoline exhibited the potential to be excellent therapeutics for treating Wilson's disease.

Scintigraphic Patterns of Indium-111 Oxine-Labeled White Blood Cell Imaging of Gram-Negative versus Gram-Positive Vertebral Osteomyelitis.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of the study was to investigate whether or not gram-negative organisms that secrete antichemotactic factors cause the nonaccumulation pattern of 111In-oxine-labeled white blood cell (111In-WBC) scans. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Staphylococcus aureus (gram-positive) (group 1) was injected into 25 rabbits and Escherichia coli (gram-negative) (group 2) into another 25 to induce infection in the lumbar vertebrae or left thigh bone (femur). Sixteen successfully infected and surviving rabbits from each group were used for imaging and analysis. Of the 16 rabbits, each group included 8 with vertebral infection and 8 with femur infection. For imaging, each rabbit was injected intravenously with 11.1 MBq (300 µCi) 111In-WBC, and images were acquired 24 h later. Microscopic histopathology was performed after decalcification to confirm osteomyelitis. RESULTS: The 111In-WBC accumulation was observed in 7 (87.5%) of the 8 rabbits infected with S. aureus in the vertebrae and thigh bone. Of the rabbits infected with the gram-negative vertebrae, 1 (12.5%) showed little accumulation of 111In-WBC. Of the 8 rabbits with gram-negative-infected femurs, 1 had high accumulation and another had low accumulation of 111In-WBC, while the rest did not show any uptake. Osteomyelitis was confirmed by histopathology in all the successfully infected rabbits used for imaging. CONCLUSION: In the majority of the gram-positive-infected rabbit vertebrae there was high accumulation of 111In-WBC. However, no accumulation of 111In-WBC was observed in most of the vertebrae infected with gram-negative organisms, which release antichemotactic factors that prevent adequate accumulation of WBC at the infected area.

Distinct activity of the bone-targeted gallium compound KP46 against osteosarcoma cells - synergism with autophagy inhibition.

BACKGROUND: Osteosarcoma is the most frequent primary malignant bone tumor. Although survival has distinctly increased due to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the past, patients with metastatic disease and poor response to chemotherapy still have an adverse prognosis. Hence, development of new therapeutic strategies is still of utmost importance. METHODS: Anticancer activity of KP46 against osteosarcoma cell models was evaluated as single agent and in combination approaches with chemotherapeutics and Bcl-2 inhibitors using MTT assay. Underlying mechanisms were tested by cell cycle, apoptosis and autophagy assays. RESULTS: KP46 exerted exceptional anticancer activity at the nanomolar to low micromolar range, depending on the assay format, against all osteosarcoma cell models with minor but significant differences in IC50 values. KP46 treatment of osteosarcoma cells caused rapid loss of cell adhesion, weak cell cycle accumulation in S-phase and later signs of apoptotic cell death. Furthermore, already at sub-cytotoxic concentrations KP46 reduced the migratory potential of osteosarcoma cells and exerted synergistic effects with cisplatin, a standard osteosarcoma chemotherapeutic. Moreover, the gallium compound induced signs of autophagy in osteosarcoma cells. Accordingly, blockade of autophagy by chloroquine but also by the Bcl-2 inhibitor obatoclax increased the cytotoxic activity of KP46 treatment significantly, suggesting autophagy induction as a protective mechanism against KP46. CONCLUSION: Together, our results identify KP46 as a new promising agent to supplement standard chemotherapy and possible future targeted therapy in osteosarcoma.

An 8-hydroxyquinoline-containing polymeric micelle system is effective for the treatment of murine tegumentary leishmaniasis.

The current treatment of leishmaniasis has been hampered due to the high toxicity of the available drugs and long duration protocols, which often lead to its abandonment. In the present study, a poloxamer 407-based delivery system was developed, and a molecule, 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HQN), was incorporated with it, leading to an 8-HQN/micelle (8-HQN/M) composition. Assays were performed to evaluate the in vitro antileishmanial activity of 8-HQN/M against Leishmania amazonensis stationary promastigotes. The cytotoxicity in murine macrophages and in human red cells, as well as the efficacy of the treatment in macrophages infected by parasites, was also assessed. This product was also evaluated for the treatment of murine tegumentary leishmaniasis, using L. amazonensis-infected BALB/c mice. To evaluate the in vivo efficacy of the treatment, the average lesion diameter (area) in the infected tissue, as well as the parasite load at the site of infection (skin), spleen, liver and draining lymph nodes were examined. Non-incorporated micelle (B-8-HQN/M) and the free molecule (8-HQN) were used as controls, besides animals that received only saline. The parasite burden was evaluated by limiting dilution and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) techniques, and immunological parameters associated with the treatments were also investigated. In the results, the 8-HQN/M group, when compared to the others, presented more significant reductions in the average lesion diameter and in the parasite burden in the skin and all evaluated organs. These animals also showed significantly higher levels of parasite-specific IFN-γ, IL-12, and GM-CSF, associated with low levels of IL-4 and IL-10, when compared to the saline, 8-HQN/M, and B-8-HQN groups. A predominant IL-12-driven IFN-γ production, against parasite proteins, mainly produced by CD4+ T cells, was observed in the treated animals, post-infection. In conclusion, 8-HQN/M was highly effective in treating L. amazonensis-infected BALB/c mice and can be considered alone, or combined with other drugs, as an alternative treatment for tegumentary leishmaniasis. Graphical Abstract Therapeutic scheme and immunological and parasitological parameters developed in the present study.

First case of amebic liver abscess 22 years after the first occurrence.

A 72-year-old man consulted in November 2012 for abdominal pain in the right upper quadrant. The patient had a history of suspected hepatic amebiasis treated in Senegal in 1985 and has not traveled to endemic areas since 1990. Abdominal CT scan revealed a liver abscess. At first, no parasitological tests were performed and the patient was treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics. Only after failure of this therapy, serology and PCR performed after liver abscess puncture established the diagnosis of hepatic amebiasis. The patient was treated with metronidazole and tiliquinol-tilbroquinol. Amebic liver abscess is the most frequent extra-intestinal manifestation. Hepatic amebiasis 22 years after the last visit to an endemic area is exceptional and raises questions on the mechanisms of latency and recurrence of these intestinal protozoan parasites.

Investigation of aromatase inhibitory activity of metal complexes of 8-hydroxyquinoline and uracil derivatives.

PURPOSE: Estrogens play important roles in the pathogenesis and progression of breast cancer as well as estrogen-related diseases. Aromatase is a key enzyme in the rate-limiting step of estrogen production, in which its inhibition is one strategy for controlling estrogen levels to improve prognosis of estrogen-related cancers and diseases. Herein, a series of metal (Mn, Cu, and Ni) complexes of 8-hydroxyquinoline (8HQ) and uracil derivatives (4-9) were investigated for their aromatase inhibitory and cytotoxic activities. METHODS: The aromatase inhibition assay was performed according to a Gentest™ kit using CYP19 enzyme, wherein ketoconazole and letrozole were used as reference drugs. The cytotoxicity was tested on normal embryonic lung cells (MRC-5) using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. RESULTS: Only Cu complexes (6 and 9) exhibited aromatase inhibitory effect with IC50 0.30 and 1.7 µM, respectively. Cytotoxicity test against MRC-5 cells showed that Mn and Cu complexes (5 and 6), as well as free ligand 8HQ, exhibited activity with IC50 range 0.74-6.27 µM. CONCLUSION: Cu complexes (6 and 9) were found to act as a novel class of aromatase inhibitor. Our findings suggest that these 8HQ-Cu-uracil complexes are promising agents that could be potentially developed as a selective anticancer agent for breast cancer and other estrogen-related diseases.

Detection of 111In-oxine-labeled bone marrow stromal cells after intravenous or intralesional administration in chronic paraplegic rats.

Recent studies suggested that bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC) may have a therapeutic role in the treatment of paraplegia secondary to severe spinal cord injury (SCI). For this reason, we have studied the possibility of using nuclear medicine imaging techniques to evaluate the permanency and migration of BMSC after transplantation procedures in chronic paraplegic Wistar rats. After intravenous administration of 111In-oxine-labeled BMSC, gammagraphic images showed that the activity distributed all over the organism, but in the spinal cord only scarce activity was identified. When 111In-oxine-labeled BMSC were injected within the traumatic centromedullary cavity of paraplegic animals, the gammagraphic images showed persistent activity in the lesion zone, without any activity migrating to the rest of the organism, at least during the whole time of the study (10 days after transplantation procedures). Our results show the utility of 111In labeling for to know the permanency and distribution of BMSC after grafting procedures, and suggest the convenience of the intralesional administration of BMSC, instead of the intravenous administration, in the treatment of chronic traumatic paraplegia.

Optimization of the auxiliary ligand shell of Cobalt(III)(8-hydroxyquinoline) complexes as model hypoxia-selective radiation-activated prodrugs.

A potential approach for activating prodrugs in hypoxic regions of tumors is to use ionizing radiation, rather than bioreductive enzymes, to effect reduction. This study investigates radiolytic release of 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ), as a model for hydroxyaza-chloromethylbenzindoline DNA minor groove alkylators, from Co(III) complexes under hypoxia. 8-HQ release, measured by HPLC, showed higher efficiency (one-electron stoichiometry) when the auxiliary ligand was a tetraazamacrocycle [e.g. 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane (cyclen)] rather than a triazamacrocycle [1,4,7-triazacyclononane (TACN)]. These complexes differ from the bioreductive cobalt complex SN 24771 in that their reduction provides stable cobalt-containing products rather than free (aquated) Co(2+). Radiolytic release of 8-HQ from Co(cyclen)(8-HQ) and Co(TACN)(CN)(8-HQ) was also demonstrated in deoxygenated human plasma, selectively in the absence of oxygen, again with higher efficiency for the cyclen system. The cobalt complexes were >1000-fold less potent than free 8-HQ as inhibitors of cell proliferation and were metabolically stable in aerobic and hypoxic cell cultures. Investigation of cell uptake of total cobalt, by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, showed that these complexes enter cells but do not accumulate to the high concentrations seen with SN 24771. The results demonstrate the feasibility of masking the cytotoxicity of hydroxyquinoline-based cytotoxins as Co(III) complexes and demonstrate the utility of cyclen-based auxiliary ligands for optimizing radiolytic activation of these novel prodrugs under hypoxia.

Simultaneous assessment of gastric accommodation and emptying: studies with liquid and solid meals.

UNLABELLED: The aim of this study was to develop a scintigraphic test to measure gastric emptying and accommodation simultaneously. METHODS: Gastric emptying and accommodation were measured in healthy subjects. To determine gastric accommodation, the stomach was imaged with SPECT 20 min after intravenous administration of 185 MBq (5 mCi) (99m)Tc-pertechnetate. After ingestion of 11 MBq (300 micro Ci) (111)In-diethylenetriaminepentaacertic acid in a liquid nutrient drink or an (111)In-oxine-labeled egg sandwich, dual-isotope imaging assessed SPECT gastric dimensions and gastric emptying every 20 min up to 240 min. Gastric accommodation was calculated as the percentage change in planar (2-dimensional) gastric cross-sectional area (CSA) using a left anterior oblique planar projection and the percentage change in total SPECT gastric voxel counts (3-dimensional) compared with the baseline image. RESULTS: With the liquid nutrient drink (9 subjects), maximal mean CSA (158% +/- 12% of baseline; P < 0.05) occurred 40 min after meal ingestion, when only 69% +/- 3% of the radiolabeled liquid nutrient drink remained in the stomach. At 120 min, mean CSA was 125% +/- 8% of baseline, but only 35% +/- 3% of the liquid nutrient drink remained in the stomach. Using SPECT to measure 3-dimensional volumes, maximal gastric volume occurred 20 min after meal ingestion (189% +/- 25% of baseline). With the solid egg meal (10 subjects), maximal total CSA (159% +/- 13% of baseline) occurred immediately after meal ingestion; total CSA remained significantly increased above baseline for the first 3 h after ingestion of the egg meal, despite only 12% +/- 4% gastric retention at 3 h. Using SPECT to measure 3-dimensional volumes, maximal gastric volume occurred immediately after the meal (184% +/- 19% of baseline). CONCLUSION: This method permits simultaneous measurement of gastric emptying and accommodation. In healthy subjects, the gastric accommodation response is prolonged and persists despite nearly complete emptying of a liquid or solid meal.

[Healing of purulent wounds of soft tissues in local treatment]. / Zazhivlenie gnoinykh ran miagkikh tkanei pri mestnom lechenii.

GOALS: To improve results of treatment of patients with purulent wounds of soft tissues of various etiology and location. METHODS: Developed method of local treatment was used in patients with purulent wounds of soft tissues. Efficacy of the treatment was evaluated with clinical, cytological, bacteriologic and bacterioscopic methods. RESULTS: When proposed antibacterial drugs were used, cleaning of wounds in inflammatory phase procedea 2 times faster compared to local treatment with standard drugs. Collagen wound covering Lioplast promoted in phases of regeneration and epithelisation 1.5 times faster reparative processes in the wound and prevention of secondary contamination of the wound. CONCLUSION: This method permits to improve results of treatment and to shorten hospital stay of patients.

Role of lipid-soluble complexes in targeted tumor therapy.

UNLABELLED: Radionuclide therapy remains a promising arsenal against cancer. However, low tumor uptake, high radiation dose to normal organs, and subsequent adverse effects are challenging problems. This study assessed the therapeutic significance of lipid-soluble compounds of (111)In, which passively diffuse through the cell membrane, bind to cytoplasmic components, and remain cell bound until decay. METHODS: Athymic nude mice bearing human colorectal, prostate, or breast cancer received 11.1-14.8 MBq (300-400 micro Ci) (111)In-8-hydroxyquinoline ((111)In-oxine) or (111)In-mercaptopyridine-N-oxide ((111)In-Merc) in 200 micro L solution intratumorally through a multihole needle. Tumors in some mice were dissected, and 20- micro m-thick sections were autoradiographed. In additional mice, tumor diameter was measured daily, mice were imaged and weighed, and blood samples were drawn for determination of neutrophil counts for up to 28 d after injection. Some mice were sacrificed at predetermined times for quantitative tissue distribution of (111)In. Additionally, tumor cells were labeled with (111)In-oxine and homogenized, and (111)In associated with cell components was determined using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Radiation dose that could be delivered to adjacent tissues was estimated. The (111)In absorbed dose as a function of radial position r in a 1-g tumor was theoretically compared with those of beta-emitting radionuclides (90)Y and (177)Lu. RESULTS: More than 85% of (111)In remained in tumors, bound to cell cytoplasmic components of apparent molecular weights 250 and 6 kDa. (111)In in tumors was uniformly distributed. Only 2% of the injected (111)In was in the liver, kidneys, and carcass. Statistical analysis showed that on day 28, control tumors grew >100%, whereas treated tumors either had growth arrest or grew only slowly (17%). The estimated radiation dose per megabecquerel (millicurie) injected was 90 Gy/g (9,000 rad/g), of which 64% was from conversion electrons, 16% from Auger electrons, 20% from gamma-photons and x-rays, respectively. Radiation dose to adjacent normal organs was 5%-10% of the radiation dose to the tumor and negligible to the liver and kidneys. Neutrophil counts remained unchanged. Mouse body weight was +/-10% of the initial weight. The radiation dosimetry for (111)In and (177)Lu compared favorably, but not that of (90)Y. CONCLUSION: Treatment is independent of receptor density, heterogeneity, or the hypoxic status of cells. It is applicable to treat all known and accessible tumor types, and it delivers a negligible radiation dose to vital organs and only 5%-10% of the radiation dose to organs adjacent to the tumor. Intratumoral administration of (111)In-oxine appears to be a feasible, effective, safe, and promising treatment for cancer.

90Y-oxine-ethiodol, a potential radiopharmaceutical for the treatment of liver cancer.

Ethiodol (or lipiodol) is selectively retained in hepatocellular carcinoma and is used as a vehicle to deliver radioactive agents following intraarterial hepatic infusion. We prepared the lipophilic complex 90Y-oxine with a radiolabeling efficiency of 97.6+/-1.1%. After extraction into ethiodol, a stability test in serum at 37 degrees C showed that 87.8% of the 90Y remained ethiodol-bound for 7 days. Bremsstrahlung imaging of a rabbit for 48 h confirmed that the homogeneous mixture of radiolabeled 90Y-oxine and ethiodol stayed in the targeted liver lobe. This radiopharmaceutical is thus a potential candidate for the treatment of non-resectable liver cancer.

Assessment of the tissue distribution of transplanted human endothelial progenitor cells by radioactive labeling.

BACKGROUND: Transplantation of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) improves vascularization and left ventricular function after experimental myocardial ischemia. However, tissue distribution of transplanted EPCs has not yet been monitored in living animals. Therefore, we tested whether radioactive labeling allows us to detect injected EPCs. METHODS AND RESULTS: Human EPCs were isolated from peripheral blood, characterized by expression of endothelial marker proteins, and radioactively labeled with [111In]indium oxine. EPCs (106) were injected in athymic nude rats 24 hours after myocardial infarction (n=8) or sham operation (n=8). Scintigraphic images were acquired after 1, 24, 48, and 96 hours after EPC injection. Animals were then killed, and specific radioactivity was measured in different tissues. At 24 to 96 hours after intravenous injection of EPCs, approximately 70% of the radioactivity was localized in the spleen and liver, with only approximately 1% of the radioactivity identified in the heart of sham-operated animals. After myocardial infarction, the heart-to-muscle radioactivity ratio increased significantly, from 1.02+/-0.19 in sham-operated animals to 2.03+/-0.37 after intravenous administration of EPCs. Injection of EPCs into the left ventricular cavity increased this ratio profoundly, from 2.69+/-1.54 in sham-operated animals to 4.70+/-1.55 (P<0.05) in rats with myocardial infarction. Immunostaining of cryosections from infarcted hearts confirmed that EPCs homed predominantly to the infarct border zone. CONCLUSIONS: Although only a small proportion of radiolabeled EPCs are detected in nonischemic myocardium, myocardial infarction increases homing of transplanted EPCs in vivo profoundly. Radiolabeling might eventually provide an useful tool for monitoring the fate of transplanted progenitor cells and for clinical cell therapy.

Does streaming affect the cerebral distribution of infraophthalmic intracarotid chemotherapy?

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The development of new non-ocular-toxic drugs has enabled infraophthalmic chemotherapeutic infusion. We assessed whether streaming occurs with infraophthalmic, high cervical internal carotid artery (ICA) delivery of chemotherapeutic agents by means of conventional angiographic catheters. METHODS: Six patients with high-grade gliomas treated with monthly carotid intraarterial chemotherapy were studied. Chemotherapy delivery and distribution was modeled by technetium 99m hexylmethyl-propyleneamine oxine (HMPAO), a first-pass agent. Each patient received 0.5 mCi (18.5 MBq) of (99m)Tc-HMPAO in 50-mL of saline intraarterially in the ICA at the C1-C2 level. Injections were given twice, at two different injection rates: 0.08 mL/s at one therapeutic session and 6 mL/s a month later. The slow injection rate modeled the slowest rate used in the delivery of chemotherapy into the ICA. The higher rate was selected to avoid any possibility of uneven mixing, by replacing intracarotid blood completely and by using a turbulent injection rate that destroys laminar flow and intraarterial streaming. Single photon emission CT (SPECT) was performed 2 hours after injection. For each patient, the corresponding SPECT sections at the two injection rates were compared. RESULTS: No differences were noted in (99m)Tc-HMPAO distribution between the two injection rates in any of the patients. However, some of the rapid injection rate SPECT scans showed extension of the (99m)Tc-HMPAO uptake into adjacent watershed territories. CONCLUSION: There was no evidence, in humans, of substantial streaming during slow infraophthalmic intracarotid injections. Slow rates of infusion are as good as high rates for infraophthalmic intracarotid drug delivery. This is of special importance for drugs that are not tolerated at high injection rates. Moreover, infraophthalmic intracarotid chemotherapeutic infusion does not require special injectors or catheters.

Biodistribution of dual radiolabeled lipidic nanocapsules in the rat using scintigraphy and gamma counting.

The aim of the present work was to study the biodistribution of a radiolabeled lipidic nanocapsule formulation after intravenous administration in rat by scintigraphy and gamma counting. This formulation is expected to be used as anticancer agent delivery devices and as transfection complexes. For this purpose, 99mTc-oxine was incorporated in the lipidic core, while 125I labeled tensioactive shell of the nanocapsule. First, in vitro stability of radiolabeled nanocapsules was evaluated by dialysis against distilled water and size measurements. Second, the nanocapsule biodistribution was followed after intravenous administration for 3 h by dynamic scintigraphic acquisition and up to 24 h by determining the gamma activity in blood and tissues. Radiolabeling was efficient and stable in vitro. After intravenous injection blood radioactivity decreased with an early half disappearance time of about 45 min for both radioisotopes. Liver and intestine radioactivities raised up to 24 h. The relatively long remanence in blood of the tracers which is probably due to the presence of PEG at the nanocarrier surface seems promising for the use of these solvent free lipidic nanocapsules as carrier of lipophilic drugs.

[Black nails caused by Proteus mirabilis]. / Ungues nigri durch Proteus mirabilis.

Black nails caused by Proteus mirabilis were seen in a motor mechanic and in a petrol pump attendant. Proteus mirabilis is a gram-negative bacillus that generates hydrogen sulfide. This compound reacts with traces of metals in the nail plate such as zinc, nickel, cobalt, iron, manganese, tin, copper and lead. Metal sulfides blacken the nail plate. The protracted course of the discoloration over months corresponds to the slow reactions of metals with hydrogen sulfide. The disappearance of the blackening after topical treatment with chinosol, tincture of iodine and chloramphenicol solution supports the etiologic connection between black nails and Proteus mirabilis. Wet and dirty work encourages the colonisation of Proteus mirabilis between nail fold and nail plate.