Effective Oral Administration of an Antitumorigenic Nanoformulated Titanium Complex

: Orally administered anticancer drugs facilitate treatment, but the acidic conditions in the stomach often challenge their availability. PhenolaTi is a Ti-IV-based nontoxic anticancer drug with markedin-vivoefficacy. We report that nanoformulation protects phenolaTi from decomposition in stomach-like conditions. This is evidenced by similar NMR characteristics and similarin-vitrocytotoxicity toward murine (CT-26) and human (HT-29) colon cancer cells before and after incubation of nanoformulated phenolaTi (phenolaTi-F) at pH 2, unlike results with the unformulated form of the complex. Furthermore, administration of phenolaTi-F in animal drinking water revealed a notable inhibition of tumor growth in Balb/c and immune-deficient (Nude) mice inoculated with CT-26 and HT-29 cells, respectively.In-vivoefficacy was at least similar to that of the corresponding intraperitoneal treatment with phenolaTi-F and the clinically employed oral drug, capecitabine. No body weight loss or clinical signs of toxicity were evident in the phenolaTi-F-treated animals. These findings demonstrate a new convenient mode of cancer treatment through oral administration by safe titanium-based drugs.

Automated summary

Orally administered nanoformulated PhenolaTi can protect the drug from decomposition in acidic conditions, showing similar in-vitro cytotoxicity towards colon cancer cells and inhibiting tumor growth in mice when administered in their drinking water. This provides a new convenient and effective mode of cancer treatment through safe titanium-based drugs.