RT Journal Article
T1 Engineering of stealth (maghemite/PLGA)/chitosan (core/shell)/shell nanocomposites with potential applications for combined MRI and hyperthermia against cancer.
A1 Fernandez-Alvarez, Fatima
A1 Caro, Carlos
A1 Garcia-Garcia, Gracia
A1 Garcia-Martin, Maria Luisa
A1 Arias, Jose L
K1 ferric oxide
K1 Magnets
K1 Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission
K1 Microscopy, Electron, Transmission
K1 Fibroblasts
K1 Mononuclear Phagocyte System
K1 Nanocomposites
K1 Foreskin
AB (Maghemite/poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide))/chitosan (core/shell)/shell nanoparticles have been prepared reproducibly by nanoprecipitation solvent evaporation plus coacervation (production performance ≈ 45%, average size ≈ 325 nm). Transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, electrophoretic determinations, and X-ray diffraction patterns demonstrated the satisfactory embedment of iron oxide nanocores within the solid polymer matrix and the formation of an external shell of chitosan in the nanostructure. The adequate magnetic responsiveness of the nanocomposites was characterized in vitro by hysteresis cycle determinations and by visualization of the nanosystem under the influence of a 0.4 T permanent magnet. Safety and biocompatibility of the (core/shell)/shell particles were based on in vitro haemocompatibility studies and cytotoxicity tests against HFF-1 human foreskin fibroblasts and on ex vivo toxicity assessments on tissue samples from Balb/c mice. Transversal relaxivities, determined in vitro at a low magnetic field of 1.44 T, demonstrated their capability as T2 contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging, being comparable to that of some iron oxide-based contrast agents. Heating properties were evaluated in a high frequency alternating electromagnetic gradient: a constant maximum temperature of ≈46 °C was generated within ≈50 min, while antitumour hyperthermia tests on T-84 colonic adenocarcinoma cells proved the relevant decrease in cell viability (to ≈ 39%) when treated with the nanosystem under the influence of that electromagnetic field. Finally, in vivo magnetic resonance imaging studies and ex vivo histology determinations of iron deposits postulated the efficacy of chitosan to provide long-circulating capabilities to the nanocomposites, retarding nanoparticle recognition by the mononuclear phagocyte system. To our knowledge, this is the first study describing such a type of biocompatible and long-circulating nanoplatform with promising theranostic applications (biomedical imaging and hyperthermia) against cancer.
PB Royal Society of Chemistry
YR 2021
FD 2021-05-10
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10668/17989
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10668/17989
LA en
NO Fernández-Álvarez F, Caro C, García-García G, García-Martín ML, Arias JL. Engineering of stealth (maghemite/PLGA)/chitosan (core/shell)/shell nanocomposites with potential applications for combined MRI and hyperthermia against cancer. J Mater Chem B. 2021 Jun 23;9(24):4963-4980.
NO Financial support was provided by grants from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) (project PI19/01478) (FEDER); Programa Operativo FEDER de Andalucía 2014-2020, Junta de Andalucía (project I + D + i A1-FQM-341-UGR18); and Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (Spain, CTQ2017-86655-R to María Luisa García-Martín). The authors also thank the Nanoimaging Unit, unit U28 of NanBiosis – Infraestructuras Científico-Tecnológicas Singulares (ICTS) (Spain), where the relaxivity and MRI experiments were performed.
DS RISalud
RD Aug 8, 2025