Table 2.
Summary of the Effects of i.t. Injection on the Biodistribution and Therapeutic Potential of HPMA Copolymer-Based Drug Delivery Systems: Analysis of the Therapeutic Index of Intravenously and Intratumorally Applied Free and HPMA Copolymer-Bound Doxorubicin.
| Time (days) | |||||||||
| 1 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 20 | |
| Control | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Dox i.v. | 1 | 1.12 | 1.09 | 1.14 | 1.06 | 1.07 | 1.07 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Dox i.t. | 1 | 1.00 | 1.19 | 1.30 | 1.56 | 1.50 | 1.58 | 1.59 | 1.56 |
| PK1 i.v. | 1 | 0.95 | 0.97 | 1.06 | 1.13 | 1.14 | 1.12 | 1.06 | 1.08 |
| PK1 i.t. | 1 | 1.17 | 1.24 | 1.37 | 1.72 | 1.55 | 1.67 | 1.85 | 2.13 |
Therapeutic indices were determined for each of the four chemotherapy regimens throughout the course of the experiment. To quantify therapeutic indices, relative increases in efficacy (i.e., in tumor growth inhibition; compared to saline control) were divided by relative increases in toxicity (i.e., in body weight loss; compared to saline control; see text for details). The assessment of therapeutic indices is intended to allow for a more direct and cross-sectional comparison of the overall therapeutic potential of the four chemotherapy regimens.