Inhibitory effect of drug-free hybrid liposomes on metastasis of human neuroblastoma

Purpose Hybrid liposomes composed of vesicular and micellar molecules have been used as drug-delivery systems. It has become clear that hybrid liposomes alone have an inhibitory effect against the growth of various tumor cells. The present study was designed to determine whether a drug-free hybrid liposome composed of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and polyoxyethylenealkyl ether (EO) [90 mol% DMPC/10% C12(EO)21 (HL21), 90 mol% DMPC/10% C12(EO)23 (HL23), or 90 mol% DMPC/10% C12(EO)25 (HL25)], inhibit the liver metastasis of human neuroblastoma cells and thus increases survival. Methods A human neuroblastoma cell, TNB9, and BALB/ C-nu/nu athymic mice were used in this study. First, we determined the inhibitory effect of the hybrid liposomes on TNB9 cells in vitro. Next, to determine the inhibitory effect of the hybrid liposomes on metastasis of neuroblastoma cells to the liver, we made a murine hepatic metastasis model by implanting TNB9 cells (2 9 106) in the spleen of the mice and compared anatomic appearance, weights, and histological findings of the livers of treated mice and control mice 60 days after the beginning of a 7-day intraperitoneal injection of a hybrid liposome. We also compared survival rates using the Kaplan–Meier method. Results In mice implanted with TNB9 neuroblastoma cells and treated with HL21 or HL25, no histological evidence of metastasis was found, the weight of the liver was normal, and survival was a mean of 88 and 87.9 days, respectively. In contrast, mice treated with HL23 and control mice had countless tumor cell masses histologically, their liver weight was increased, and their survival was 73.0 and 68.6 days, respectively. Conclusions Two kinds of hybrid liposomes, HL21 and HL25, inhibit metastasis of human neuroblastoma cells to the liver, and thus increase survival.