Clinical pharmacokinetics of paclitaxel liposome with a new route of administration in human based on the analysis with ultra performance liquid chromatography.

We investigated the clinical pharmacokinetics of paclitaxel liposome with a new route of administration, which was intrapleural infusion, in nine advanced nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with malignant pleural effusions after a single administration. Paclitaxel concentrations were measured in pleural fluid and plasma using a simple and rapid ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) method following intra- and inter-day validations. In subjects, AUC(0-96 h) values in pleural fluid and plasma were 17831 ± 6439 µg h/mL and 778 ± 328 µg h/mL, respectively, and T(max) values were initial time and 6.67 h after administration and the corresponding C(max) values were 558 ± 44 µg/mL and 12.89 ± 6.86 µg/mL, respectively. The T(1/2,IP), CL(IP) and Vd(IP) values in pleural fluid were 76 ± 48 h, 0.005 ± 0.002 L/h m(2) and 0.53 ± 0.23 L/m(2), respectively. The T(1/2,pla), CL(pla), and Vd(pla) values in plasma were 68.34 ± 56.74 h, 0.184 ± 0.080 L/h m(2), and 17.53 ± 16.57 L/m(2), respectively. However, some paclitaxel concentrations from several patients in plasma could not be detected at some designed time-points. Our results might offer new opportunities to design and determine individually appropriate therapeutic dosage regimens based on a pharmacokinetic profile.