Radioenhancement with the Combination of Docetaxel and Ultrasound Microbubbles: In Vivo Prostate Cancer

Using an in vitro prostate cancer model, we previously demonstrated the significant enhancement of radiotherapy (XRT) with the combined treatment of docetaxel (Taxotere; TXT) and ultrasound-microbubbles (USMB). Here, we extend these findings to an in vivo cancer model. Severe combined immune-deficient male mice were xenografted with the PC-3 prostate cancer cell line in the hind leg and treated with USMB, TXT, radiotherapy (XRT), and their combinations. The tumors were imaged with ultrasound pre-treatment and 24 h post-treatment, following which they were extracted for the histological analysis of the tumor-cell death (D(N); H&E) and apoptosis (D(A); TUNEL). The tumors’ growths were assessed for up to ~6 weeks and analysed using the exponential Malthusian tumor-growth model. The tumors’ doubling time (V(T)) was characterized as growth (positive) or shrinkage (negative). The cellular death and apoptosis increased ~5-fold with the TXT + USMB + XRT (D(n) = 83% and D(a) = 71%) compared to the XRT alone (D(n) = 16% and D(a) = 14%), and by ~2–3-fold with the TXT + XRT (D(n) = 50% and D(a) = 38%) and USMB + XRT (D(n) = 45% and D(a) = 27%) compared to the XRT. The USMB enhanced the cellular bioeffects of the TXT by ~2–5-fold with the TXT + USMB (D(n) = 42% and D(a) = 50%), compared with the TXT alone (D(n) = 19% and D(a) = 9%). The USMB alone caused cell death (D(n) = 17% and D(a) = 10%) compared to the untreated control (D(n) = 0.4% and D(a) = 0%). The histological cellular bioeffects were correlated with the changes in the ultrasound RF mid-band-fit data, which were associated with the cellular morphology. The linear regression analysis displayed a positive linear correlation between the mid-band fit and the overall cell death (R(2) = 0.9164), as well as a positive linear correlation between the mid-band fit and the apoptosis (R(2) = 0.8530). These results demonstrate a correlation between the histological and spectral measurements of the tissue microstructure and that cellular morphological changes can be detected by ultrasound scattering analysis. In addition, the tumor volumes from the triple-combination treatment were significantly smaller than those from the control, XRT, USMB + XRT, and TXT + XRT, from day 2 onward. The TXT + USMB + XRT-treated tumors shrank from day 2 and at each subsequent time-point measured (V(T) ~−6 days). The growth of the XRT-treated tumors was inhibited during the first 16 days, following which the tumors grew (V(T) ~9 days). The TXT + XRT and USMB + XRT groups displayed an initial decrease in tumor size (day 1–14; TXT + XRT V(T) ~−12 days; USMB + XRT V(T) ~−33 days), followed by a growth phase (day 15–37; TXT + XRT V(T) ~11 days; USMB + XRT V(T) ~22 days). The triple-combination therapy induced tumor shrinkage to a greater extent than any of the other treatments. This study demonstrates the in vivo radioenhancement potential of chemotherapy combined with therapeutic ultrasound-microbubble treatment in inducing cell death and apoptosis, as well as long-term tumor shrinkage.