Hydroxycamptothecin is a potent antineoplastic agent that has shown efficacy against multiple tumor lines in vitro. This is the first study to investigate the release, distribution, and efficacy of hydroxycamptothecin which was incorporated into the biodegradable polymer Polylactic Acid (PLA), and implant into brain directly. In vitro release curve generated showed that a large initial release occurred over the first three days and was followed by a steady, but considerably slower rate of

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... e over the next 25 days. After implanting the discs into 40 male SD rats, the animals were followed up to 28 days, where the concentration in brain tissue was far higher than that in peripheral blood at the each of the eight time-points evaluated, and it was also within the therapeutic range for C6 cells tested in vitro. The in vivo efficacy of the discs was evaluated with rats inoculated intracranially with C6 glioma and treated with hydroxycamptothecin polymer compared to intravenous as well as intratumoral injections; the median survival is 21.1, 13.9, 14.9 days, respectively. Given these data, we conclude that the biodegradable polymer PLA releases hydroxycamptothecin, producing tumoricidal levels in brain tissues and prolonging survival in a rat glioma model.