This drug can enter the cell membrane only selleck compound through specific protein receptors, since its lipophobic nature prevents the simple

diffusion, therefore resulting in slow and extremely limited uptake under normal conditions [16]. The complex formed by bleomycin and the membrane receptor is transferred within the cytosol through endocytotic vesicles. In the nucleus bleomycin rapidly causes DNA fragmentation, that is similar to that induced by radiation [16, 17]. The high toxicity of bleomycin when it reaches the intracellular environment is limited by its impaired diffusion (less than 0.1% reaches its target in cultured cells) through the cytoplasmic membrane [16, 17]. For these reasons, despite its therapeutic potential, the use of bleomycin has been limited in the clinical experience, until it has been shown that its cytotoxicity could be significally enhanced by electroporation, leading to a revival of this drug [17–22]. Another drug whose uptake can be increased by this mechanism is cisplatin (CDDP), however its captation is less influenced by the concurrent application of electric pulses, consequentially this agent has been less extensively investigated [23]. Several electroporation protocols have been adopted, mostly involving

sequences of repeated decaying or square single pulses until the desired number click here of permeabilizing electric stimulations was reached [12–18]. More recently, a novel protocol XMU-MP-1 order involving the adoption of bursts of biphasic pulses with selectable period of repetition has been successfully used both in veterinary patients as well as in humans [19, 24–31]. This schedule offers advantages in decreasing the morbidity of the treated nearly animals and humans as well as improving the clinical outcome [19, 24–32]. The exact mechanism of this therapy at the membrane level is not yet well understood, however recently consistent membrane changes have been

shown by electron microscopy, following the exposure to electric pulses of melanoma tumors transplanted in mice [33]. Specifically, the freeze-fracturing analysis “”evidenced defects in the dynamic assembly of lipids and proteins in both models, which ended up with the formation of “”areas with rough structure”" and intensive clustering of intramembrane proteins”" [33]. These changes are suggestive of lipid and protein alterations, of altered protein cohesion and, perhaps. polarity, as well as of changes in lipid orientation within the cell membranes. Finally, the intercellular flow of microvescicle among cancer cells was disrupted following the destruction of these organelles by the electric pulses, probably inducing an impairment of cytokines and intercellular signal pathway. Results obtained in pets with spontaneously occurring neoplasms Differently from other cancer investigations, electrochemotherapy has frequently conducted at the same time studies in rodents and in companion animals.