Anthracyclines are antibiotics widely used for the treatment of leukemia and solid tumors. Perfusion is the standard clinical administration form. Unfortunately, this does not allow treatment of gastric cancers. A new galenic presentation, consisting of anthracyclines adsorbed onto hydroxylapatite granules, has been developed. It was found to be possible to modulate the release of the drug as a function of the pH by using copper(II) ions. At neutral pH, the drug remains on the mineral support, but at pH 3, the drug is released into solution. Further investigations demonstrate that copper-containing hydroxylapatite can retain a determined quantity of antibiotic by surface complexation. This result could contribute to new designs for drug carriers targeted for gastric cancers.
Copyright 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.