A Fundamentally New Direction in Embolization Using Reactive Chemistry in a Swine Model

Authors

Erik Cressman
Danielle Stolley
Shubhneet Warar
Natalie W Fowlkes
David Fuentes

Publication Date

5-19-2025

Journal

Scientific Reports

DOI

10.1038/s41598-025-02376-2

PMID

40389472

PMCID

PMC12089521

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

5-19-2025

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Post-print

Abstract

Liver cancer carries a poor prognosis and incidence continues to increase. The main therapy for unresectable disease > 3 cm in diameter is Transarterial Chemoembolization. Unfortunately, overall survival for these patients has improved little in the past two decades. To address this, we propose a new approach using a chemical reaction in situ. We report here our results in a pilot study using a swine model. Domestic swine (n = 3) were treated in the liver with dichloroacetic anhydride in ethiodized oil. CT imaging was followed 24 h after the procedure by necropsy, histopathology, and mass spectrometry imaging. Animals tolerated the procedure well. Imaging showed that the solution remained stable over 24 h. Areas of coagulative necrosis were identified at histopathology. Multiplex immunofluorescence showed focal areas where antibodies did not bind. Similarly, mass spectrometry imaging showed areas of low-abundance or absent molecular ions and new molecular ions in treated areas. The data presented here provide the first direct evidence that reactive embolization results in fundamental changes in tissue architecture down to the molecular level, suggesting significant therapeutic potential. These encouraging results open a wide new field of image-guided in vivo chemistry worthy of further exploration.

Keywords

Animals, Swine, Liver, Tomography, X-Ray Computed, Pilot Projects, Embolization, Therapeutic, Liver Neoplasms, Disease Models, Animal, Chemoembolization, Therapeutic, Ethiodized Oil, Hepatocellular carcinoma, Liver Cancer, Transarterial chemoembolization, Covalent modification, Image-Guided chemistry

Published Open-Access

yes

Recommended Citation

Cressman, Erik; Stolley, Danielle; Warar, Shubhneet; et al., "A Fundamentally New Direction in Embolization Using Reactive Chemistry in a Swine Model" (2025). Faculty, Staff and Student Publications. 4314.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/uthgsbs_docs/4314