Preclinical toxicology of a novel polymeric antitumour agent: HPMA copolymer-doxorubicin (PK1)

N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPMA) copolymer-doxorubicin (PK1) is a novel polymeric anticancer agent containing doxorubicin (approximately 8 wt%) bound to the polymer backbone via a Gly-Phe-Leu-Gly peptidyl linker. The approximate LD50 of PK1 in MF1 mice after a single i.v. injection was 63 mg/kg (doxorubicin-equivalent). Single doses of PK1 were administered to MF1 mice at 22.5 or 45 mg/kg and blood samples taken on days 3, 7 and 14 for haematological examination and clinical chemistry. At day 14 all animals were sacrificed for necropsy. In a multiple dose study, PK1 was administered i.v. to MF1 mice or Wistar rats (20 animals per group) weekly for five consecutive weeks at doses of 12.0 or 22.5 mg/kg (mice) or 3 and 5 mg/kg(rats), After 31 days 10 animals from each group were sacrificed far necropsy and the remainder were sacrificed after 59 days, Blood samples were taken 3 days after administration of each dose and at the end of the experiment, and mine samples were collected on the day prior to sacrifice. Mortality in the single dose mouse and multiple dose rat studies was low, In the multiple dose mouse study 4/10 animals were killed in extremis before the scheduled day 31 and all animals died before day 37. PK1 induced a reduction in WBC and platelets in rats and mice shortly after treatment and RBC at later times, and in the single dose study alanine and aspartate aminotransferase levels were elevated at higher doses. Liver damage was seen only in rat tissue during histological examination. Other histological changes induced by PK1 include thymic and testicular atrophy, bone marrow depletion gastrointestinal tract changes and in the multiple dose study an increase in nuclear size in the proximal tubules of the kidney (although no changes in urine were seen). Recovery fi om these effects was seen in rats at 59 days. A PK1 dose of 20 mg/m(2) (doxorubicin equivalent) was recommended as a safe dose for the start of Phase I clinical trials.