Octreotide (OCT) can inhibit
tumor growth with few side‑effects. In this study, we hypothesized that an OCT- and
poloxamer 407 (P407)-based temperature‑sensitive gel may compensate for the short half‑life of OCT, which may thus lead to the development of a novel
therapy for patients with end‑stage
liver cancer by intratumoral injection. The proliferation and apoptosis of mouse Hca‑F
hepatocellular carcinoma cells were determined by MTT assay and
Annexin V‑PI staining. A mouse model of
hepatocellular carcinoma was established by the subcutaneous transplantion of Hca‑F cells and OCT‑P407 or OCT
solution were injected into the
tumors, followed by the detection of OCT levels by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) over a specific time period. OCT‑P407,
ethanol, OCT, P407 or
normal saline (NS) were injected into the
tumors and the
tumor size, weight and inhibition rate were measured 8 days later. Additionally, the expression of
somatostatin receptor‑2 (SSTR‑2),
vascular endothelial growth factor (
VEGF) and caspase‑3 was detected by immunohistochemistry and RT‑PCR. Compared with the OCT group, the
tumor inhibition rate and the apoptotic rate in the OCT‑P407 group were higher and the effects were longer. The
tumor size and weight in the OCT‑P407 group were lower and the
tumor inhibition rate higher compared with the OCT, P407 and NS groups, with the exception of the
ethanol group. The
protein and
mRNA expression of SSTR‑2 and caspase‑3 in the OCT‑P407 group was higher, and that of VEFG was lower compared with the other groups, with the exception of the
ethanol group. In the present study, we demonstrate that the intratumoral injection of OCT‑P407 maintains OCT local effective concentration and prolongs its action time, with a greater
therapeutic effect than that of OCT on its own. Although
ethanol is more effective in certain aspects, its
tumor inhibitory effects are similar to OCT‑P407 and as such, OCT‑P407 may be a suitable alternative.