Magnetic nanoparticles have gained significant attention as a therapeutic agent for cancer treatment. Herein, we developed chitosan oligosaccharide-stabilized ferrimagnetic iron oxide nanocubes (Chito-FIONs) as an effective heat nanomediator for cancer hyperthermia. Dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopic analyses revealed that Chito-FIONs were composed of multiple 30-nm-sized FIONs encapsulated by a chitosan polymer shell. Multiple FIONs in an interior increased the total magnetic moments, which leads to localized accumulation under an applied magnetic field. Chito-FIONs also exhibited superior magnetic heating ability with a high specific loss power value (2614 W/g) compared with commercial superparamagnetic Feridex nanoparticles (83 W/g). The magnetically guided Chito-FIONs successfully eradicated target cancer cells through caspase-mediated apoptosis. Furthermore, Chito-FIONs showed excellent antitumor efficacy on an animal tumor model without any severe toxicity.
A variety of organic and inorganic nanomaterials with dimensions below several hundred nanometers are recently emerging as promising tools for cancer therapeutic and diagnostic applications due to their unique characteristics of passive tumor targeting. A wide range of nanomedicine platforms such as polymeric micelles, liposomes, dendrimers, and polymeric nanoparticles have been extensively explored for targeted delivery of anti-cancer agents, because they can accumulate in the solid tumor site via leaky tumor vascular structures, thereby selectively delivering therapeutic payloads into the desired tumor tissue. In recent years, nanoscale delivery vehicles for small interfering RNA (siRNA) have been also developed as effective therapeutic approaches to treat cancer. Furthermore, rationally designed multi-functional surface modification of these nanomaterials with cancer targeting moieties, protective polymers, and imaging agents can lead to fabrication versatile theragnostic nanosystems that allow simultaneous cancer therapy and diagnosis. This review highlights the current state and future prospects of diverse biomedical nanomaterials for cancer therapy and imaging.
Gadolinium-labeled magnetite nanoparticles (GMNPs) were synthesized via a bioinspired manner to use as dual contrast agents for T1- and T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. A mussel-derived adhesive moiety, 3,4-dihydroxy-l-phenylalanine (DOPA), was utilized as a robust anchor to form a mixed layer of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chains and dopamine molecules on the surface of iron oxide nanoparticles. Gadolinium ions were subsequently complexed at the distal end of the dopamine molecules that were prefunctionalized with a chelating ligand for gadolinium. The resultant GMNPs exhibited high dispersion stability in aqueous solution. Crystal structure and superparamagnetic properties of magnetite nanocrystals were also maintained after the complexation of gadolinium. The potential of GMNPs as dual contrast agents for T1 and T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging was demonstrated by conducting in vitro and in vivo imaging and relaxivity measurements.
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