Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Effectiveness of nab-paclitaxel versus traditional paclitaxels in the treatment of ovarian cancer

Jing Ding¹, Wei Xu¹, Xiao-yan Cheng², Xi-hai Chen³, Wen-jun Zhou⁴, Rong Ma¹, Fan-ling Meng¹

¹Department of Gynecology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, No. 150 Haping Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150040, Heilongjiang Province, China; ²Beijing Center for Physical and Chemical Analysis, No. 7 Fengxianzhong Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100094, China; ³Department of general surgery, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China; ⁴Department of Gynecology, Harbin Wenkang Hospital, No. 102 Hongqi Street, Xiangfang District, Harbin 150000, Heilongjiang Province, China.

For correspondence:- Fan-ling Meng Email: dr_mfl1979@126.com Tel:+8613100938267

Accepted: 3 May 2023 Published: 30 May 2023

Citation: Ding J, Xu W, Cheng X, Chen X, Zhou W, Ma R, et al. Effectiveness of nab-paclitaxel versus traditional paclitaxels in the treatment of ovarian cancer. Trop J Pharm Res 2023; 22(5):1043-1050 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v22i5.16

© 2023 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of four taxane drugs, namely, paclitaxel, docetaxel, paclitaxel liposomes (Lipusu), and nab-paclitaxel (Keaili) on ovarian cancer cells both in vivo and in vitro.

Methods: BALB/c-nu/nu female mice were used to develop mouse xenograft models. The mice were randomized to 5 groups (4 in each group), namely, control (PBS) group, paclitaxel group, docetaxel group, liposomal paclitaxel group and nab-paclitaxel group. The effect of four taxane drugs were determined via cell proliferation and toxicity tests. Mouse xenograft models were employed to assess the efficacy of four taxane drugs in inhibiting tumor growth.

Results: Nab-paclitaxel has a significant ovarian growth-reducing effect in vitro. In vivo, no significant differences were observed in tumor volume among the four groups (p < 0.05). Nab-paclitaxel produced the lowest animal toxicity when compared with other three drugs as the mice in nab-paclitaxel treatment group showed no significant alterations in body weight (p < 0.05). Hematoxylin and eosin (H & E) staining revealed the lowest degree of liver tissue damage in mice treated with nab-paclitaxel compared to mice administered the other three paclitaxels.

Conclusion: Nab-paclitaxel is more effective in mice with ovarian cancer than traditional paclitaxels. Thus, it promises to offer a viable alternative as first-line chemotherapy for epithelial ovarian cancer in humans, as it has low systemic toxicity and fewer hypersensitivity reactions. However, further investigations, including clinical trials in humans, are required

Keywords: Paclitaxel, Docetaxel, Paclitaxel liposome, Nab-paclitaxel, Epithelial ovarian cancer