Liu Jiang, Wong Ho-Lun, Moselhy Jim, Bowen Barry, Wu Xiao Yu, Johnston Michael R
Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont., Canada.
Lung Cancer. 2006 Mar;51(3):377-86. doi: 10.1016/j.lungcan.2005.11.006. Epub 2006 Jan 18.
Thoracic lymphatics and lymph nodes can be affected by cancer and other diseases. Micro- or nanoparticulates are used as carriers for therapeutic agents. We investigated the lymphatic distribution after intrapleural administration of three different particulates.
Various micro- and nanoparticles of charcoal, polystyrene and poly(lactide-co-glycolide) were administered into the pleural space of rats to study the lymphatic distribution of particles from the pleural cavity to the thoracic lymph nodes. Experimental animal models included healthy rats, rats following pneumonectomy and rats bearing orthotopic lung cancer to mimic relevant clinical scenarios and pathophysiology. Macroscopic examination, light microscopy, fluorescence microscopy complemented by transmission electron microscopy analysis of the lymphatic tissue allowed precise mapping and detection of the particulates in the thoracic lymphatic system.
We found that (1) the particles studied are cleared by the regional thoracic lymphatic system when placed in the pleural space; (2) the lymphatic uptake occurred as early as 3h after injection and is primarily through the parietal pleura; (3) the transport of particles to regional lymph nodes was consistently found in all three animal models; (4) particles of 0.7-2 microm in size give the best lymphatic distribution.
Regional thoracic lymphatics and lymph nodes can be accessed by colloidal particles injected into the pleural space.
胸段淋巴管和淋巴结可受癌症及其他疾病影响。微米级或纳米级微粒用作治疗药物的载体。我们研究了三种不同微粒经胸膜腔内给药后的淋巴分布情况。
将各种由木炭、聚苯乙烯和聚丙交酯-乙交酯制成的微米级和纳米级微粒注入大鼠胸膜腔，以研究微粒从胸膜腔到胸段淋巴结的淋巴分布。实验动物模型包括健康大鼠、肺切除术后大鼠和原位肺癌大鼠，以模拟相关临床情况和病理生理过程。通过对淋巴组织进行宏观检查、光学显微镜检查、荧光显微镜检查，并辅以透射电子显微镜分析，可精确绘制并检测胸段淋巴系统中的微粒。
我们发现：（1）当置于胸膜腔时，所研究的微粒可被局部胸段淋巴系统清除；（2）淋巴摄取在注射后3小时就已发生，且主要通过壁层胸膜；（3）在所有三种动物模型中均一致发现微粒向局部淋巴结的转运；（4）尺寸为0.7 - 2微米的微粒具有最佳的淋巴分布。
注入胸膜腔的胶体微粒可进入局部胸段淋巴管和淋巴结。
