Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41687837›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of pharmaceutics2026

Mechanistic PBPK/PD modeling of free and nano-liposomal irinotecan reveals formulation-specific determinants of disposition and efficacy.

Yegwon An, Min H Kang, Sukyung Woo

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of pharmaceutics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Yegwon AnDivision of Pharmacokinetics-Pharmacodynamics and Systems Pharmacology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, The State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA.
Min H KangSchool of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Science Center, Lubbock, TX, USA.
Sukyung WooDivision of Pharmacokinetics-Pharmacodynamics and Systems Pharmacology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, The State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA. Electronic address: skwoo@buffalo.edu.

Funding

Targeting ovarian cancer spheroid formation and metabolic adaptation by APJ inhibitionR01CA258546 · NCI · STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO · PI Sukyung Woo · 2022 to 2026
$2.0M
NCI NIH HHS R01 CA258546
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Irinotecan is widely used in cancer therapy but is limited by significant toxicities due to systemic and intestinal exposure to its active metabolite, SN-38. To improve its therapeutic profile, irinotecan has been encapsulated in pegylated liposome as a nano-liposomal form (nal-IRI) to modify its pharmacokinetics (PK) and enhance tumor delivery via the enhanced permeability and retention effect. While nal-IRI has shown clinical benefits, the formulation-specific PK and pharmacodynamics (PD) underlying its efficacy and safety remain unknown. This study aimed to develop a physiologically based pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PBPK/PD) model to compare the disposition and tumor response of irinotecan and SN-38 following administration of free irinotecan (free-IRI, Camptosar®) and nal-IRI (Onivyde®) in pediatric tumor xenografts. Plasma and tissue PK data (liver, spleen, kidney, brain, lung, and tumor) were collected from healthy and tumor-bearing mice treated with various intravenous doses of both formulations. The model accurately described plasma, tissue, and tumor concentrations of irinotecan and SN-38. Key determinants of disposition included enterohepatic recycling, carboxylesterase-mediated conversion in liver/plasma, and clearance through biliary/metabolic pathways for irinotecan, and biliary/renal routes for SN-38. Nal-IRI exhibited formulation-specific characteristics, including phagocyte-mediated uptake, non-linear plasma clearance, liposomal release and permeability-limited tissue distribution, that are major determinants of nal-IRI disposition. PD modeling indicated intra-tumoral SN-38 exposure was the principal driver of antitumor efficacy. Nal-IRI achieved sustained and higher SN-38 tumor exposure, producing more rapid and durable tumor suppression than free-IRI. This integrated PBPK/PD framework provides mechanistic insights into the enhanced efficacy of nal-IRI and supports its optimized use in irinotecan-based cancer therapy.

Indexed as

Antineoplastic Agents, PhytogenicIrinotecanModels, BiologicalNanoparticlesAnimalsCamptothecinCell Line, TumorFemaleHumansLiposomesMaleMicePolyethylene GlycolsTissue DistributionXenograft Model Antitumor AssaysAntineoplastic Agents, PhytogenicCamptothecinIrinotecanLiposomesPolyethylene GlycolsFree irinotecan (CPT-11)Nano-liposomal irinotecan (nal-IRI)Nanoparticle dispositionPBPK/PDSN-38Tissue distribution

Identifiers

PMID41687837
PMCPMC13622955

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.