Hyaluronan-chemotherapeutic agent formulations for the treatment of colon cancer
The present invention relates to the enhancement of bioavailability of chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of disease. In particular, the present invention relates to a method of enhancing the bioavailability of a chemotherapeutic agent comprising the step of administering to a subject in need thereof a therapeutically effective amount of hyaluronan.
1. A method of treating drug resistant colon cancer comprising the step of systemically administering intravenously a composition comprising a combination of a therapeutically effective amount of hyaluronan, wherein the hyaluronan has a size expressed as a molecular weight of 800,000 to 1,432,000 Daltons or an intrinsic viscosity of 10.0 dl/gm to 14.5 dl/gm, together with a therapeutically effective amount of a cancer chemotherapeutic agent to a subject with drug resistant colon cancer.
2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the cancer chemotherapeutic agent is selected from the group consisting of carmustine (BCNU), chlorambucil (Leukeran), cisplatin (Platinol), Cytarabine, doxorubicin (Adriamycin), fluorouracil (5-FU), methoxetrate (Mexate), CPT-11 (irinotecan), etoposide, plicamycin (Mithracin) and taxanes.
3. A method according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the subject is mammal.
4. A method according to claim 3 , wherein the mammal is selected from the group consisting of bovine, canine, equine, feline, porcine and human.
5. A method according to claim 1 , wherein and the cancer chemotherapeutic agent is CPT-11 (irinotecan).
6. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the hyaluronan is administered to the subject in an amount of between 5 mg per kilogram of body weight of the subject and 20 mg per kilogram of body weight of the subject.
7. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the composition comprising hyaluronan and chemotherapeutic agent comprises less than 0.1% by weight protein content relative to hyaluronan.
8. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the composition comprising hyaluronan and CPT-11 (irinotecan) comprises less than 0.1% by weight protein content relative to hyaluronan.