Effects of liposome-entrapped doxorubicin on liver metastases of mouse colon carcinomas 26 and 38.

The effects of doxorubicin (DOX) and DOX entrapped in standardized liposomes [mean diameter, 0.15 micron; (DOX-Lip)] on the survival of mice bearing liver metastases of mouse colon carcinoma CT38LD (C57BL/6J mice) or CT26 (BALB/c mice) were investigated. In vitro cultured CT38LD cells were more sensitive to DOX than CT26. In vivo DOX and DOX-Lip, administered iv 10 mg/kg weekly to a maximum of five injections, increased the life-spans of mice bearing CT38LD liver metastases 32% (P less than .05) and 64% (P less than .05), respectively. DOX-Lip was more effective than DOX in prolonging survival (P less than .05). Free DOX did not significantly increase the life-spans of mice bearing CT26 liver metastases (P greater than .5), whereas DOX-Lip increased the life-spans 35% (P less than .05). The results suggest that liposomal delivery of agents to the liver can enhance therapeutic activity and could be used as an arm of protocols for adjuvant therapy of liver metastases.