Novel prostaglandin therapy using a lipid microsphere in peripheral vascular disease

Abstract

Intravenous infusion of PGE₁is one of the most useful treatment of peripheral vascular diseases such as scleroderma, Buerger's disease and diabetic angiopathy. Since PGE₁is rapidly inactivated in the lungs, PGE₁must be administered into the obstructive artery or a large amount of it has to be given intravenously. The distribution of PGE₁to a whole body induces its systemic effects, diarrhea and hypotension. Moreover, PGE₁causes an irritation in the blood vessels near the site of injection. To avoid these therapeutic problems of PGE₁, we incorporated PGE₁in lipid microsphere (a small lipid particle) with an average particle size of 0.2 u, whose suspension is in widespread use for parenteral nutrition in man, and we compared its vasodilator property in man with that of commercially available PGE₁.