Anticancer Effect of Paclitaxel Carried with Stealth Liposome Used for Metronomic Chemotherapy

To prepare paclitaxel stealth liposome (PSL) used for metronomic chemotherapy and evaluate its acute toxicity and anticancer effect. METHODS PSL was prepared, in which oleic acid, vitamin E, cholesterol and PEG-DSPE(polylene glycol derivative of distearoylphosphatidyl ethanolamine, mean molecular weight of PEG 2000) were included. PEG-DSPE was used to extend the circulation time of PSL. Oleic acid was used to reduce the average particle size of PSL. PSL was characterized using laser light scattering instrument and Sephadex G50 column. The anticancer effect of PSL was evaluated using S180 tumor model and its acute toxicity was compared with that of free paclitaxel. RESULTS The average diameter of PSL was (138.6±4.6) nm and its Zeta potential was (-31.6±7.9) mV while its loading efficiency was (97.8±2.6)%. Compared with free paclitaxel, PSL showed lower acute toxicity and greater anticancer effect. In metronomic chemotherapy, PSL showed greater anticancer effect than free paclitaxel. CONCLUSION PSL, which showed high loading efficiency and small particle size, can be prepared easily and may become a better candidate for cancer metronomic chemotherapy than paclitaxel injection.