Abstract:
Background and purpose: Locoregional infusion chemotherapy such as hepatic artery, or hepaticportal vein infusion is one of the most important treatments for hepatocelluar carcinoma. This study was aimed to investigate the distribution of fluorouracil(5-FU) in rat hepatoma, liver tissue and plasma after administrated by caudal vein or locoregional routes of hepatic artery, hepaticportal vein, and hepaticportal vein with ligated hepatic artery. Methods: Twenty-four tumor-bearing rats were divided into 4 groups randomly, and they were infused with 5-FU through peripheral vein(caudal vein), hepatic artery, hepaticportal vein or hepaticportal vein with ligated hepatic artery, which dose was 20 mg/kg. High performance liquid chromatography was adopted to measure the content of 5-FU in hepatoma, liver tissue and plasma, and the drug penetration rate among them were calculated. Results: The group of hepaticportal vein with ligated hepatic artery reached the highest concentrations of 5-FU in live tissue and hepatoma, which concentrations were (22.19.5) μg/g and (16.4±7.2) μg/g. Then was the hepatic artery group, and the concentration of the hepaticportal vein group in the hepatoma focus was much smaller than the former 2 groups, which was (8.9±3.7) μg/g. The peripheral vein group got the lowest concentrations both in the liver tissue and hepatoma, which were (9.4±3.7) and (4.3±2.2) μg/g. The concentrations of 5-FU in the plasma in the peripheral vein group, the hepatic artery group, the group of hepaticportal vein with ligated hepatic artery and the hepaticportal vein group were (26.8±12.5), (16.4±9.7), (15.9±10.1) and (14.9±8.5) μg/mL, which indicated that the drug concentrations of the latter 3 groups were much lower than the former group. The hepatoma/plasma penetration rate of 5-FU in the group of hepaticportal vein with ligated hepatic artery, the hepatic artery group, the hepaticportal vein group and the peripheral vein group were 103.47%, 92.94%, 59.58% and 16.08%. Conclusion: Compared to the peripheral venous bolus injection, locoregional infusion could significantly increase the concentrations of chemotherapy agent in hepatoma focus and liver tissue, and decrease the drug distributions in peripheral blood. And the infusion through hepaticportal vein with ligated hepatic artery and through hepatic artery reaches higher concentrations in the hepatoma focuses, which indicate that they are 2 practical and promising routes for the locoregional chemotherapy of hepatoma.

Key words: Fluorouracil, Hepatoma, Regional chemotherapy, Penetration rate