Munich, Germany (UroToday.com) Ureteral stents are one of the most commonly used instruments in urologists armamentarium. Authors developed biodegradable ureteral stents impregnated by supercritical fluid CO2 (SCF) with each of the four anti-cancer drugs were produced.
Authors developed four formulations with different concentrations of gelatin and alginate and crosslink agent were tested and bismuth was added to confer radiopaque properties to the stent. The preliminary in vivo feasibility studies in female domestic pigs were conducted.
Paclitaxel, epirubicin, doxorubicin and gemcitabine were impregnated in the stents and the release kinetics was measured in artificial urine solution (AUS) for 9 days by UV spectroscopy in a microplate reader. The anti-tumoral effect of the developed stents in transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) and HUVEC primary cells, used as control, was evaluated.
Ureteral catheters were successfully deployed in the ureters of female pigs. Stents were able to provide adequate drainage and all animals remained without any symptoms. Authors demonstrated that the second-generation of ureteral stents were deployable and functional.
In vitro measurements of drug release demonstrated that a higher release was observerd in the first 72h for all 4 anti-cancer drugs and with a plateau achieved after 9 days.
Novel biodegradable ureteral stents are functional and this study has demonstrated its applicability in urologic oncology. The use of biodegradable ureteral stent in urology clinical practice not only reduce the stent-related symptoms but also open new treatment therapy’s, like in urothelial tumors of upper urinary tract.
Presented By:
Barros A.
From the 31st Annual EAU Congress - March 12 - 15, 2016 – Munich, Germany