A Novel Magnetic Nanoparticle Drug Carrier for Enhanced Cancer Chemotherapy

Background: Magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) loaded with antitumor drugs in combination with an external magnetic field (EMF)-guided delivery can improve the efficacy of treatment and may decrease serious side effects. The purpose of this study was 1) to investigate application of PEG modified GMNPs (PGMNPs) as a drug carrier of the chemotherapy compound doxorubicin (DOX) in vitro; 2) to evaluate the therapeutic efficiency of DOX-conjugated PGMNPs (DOX-PGMNPs) using an EMF-guided delivery in vivo. Methods: First, DOX-PGMNPs were synthesized and the cytotoxicity of DOX-PGMNPs was assessed in vitro. Second, upon intravenous administration of DOX-PMGPNs to H22 hepatoma cell tumor-bearing mice, the DOX biodistribution in different organs (tissues) was measured. The antitumor activity was evaluated using different treatment strategies such as DOX-PMGPNs or DOX-PMGPNs with an EMF-guided delivery (DOX-PGMNPs-M). Results: The relative tumor volumes in DOX-PGMNPs-M, DOX-PGMNPs, and DOX groups were 5.46 +/- 1.48, 9.22 +/- 1.51, and 14.8 +/- 1.64, respectively (each p < 0.05), following treatment for 33 days. The life span of tumor-bearing mice treated with DOX-PGMNPs-M, DOX-PGMNPs, and DOX were 74.8 +/- 9.95, 66.1 +/- 13.5 +/- 13.5, and 31.3 +/- 3.31 days, respectively (each p < 0.05). Conclusion: This simple and adaptive nanoparticle design may accommodate chemotherapy for drug delivery optimization and in vivo drug-target definition in system biology profiling, increasing the margin of safety in treatment of cancers in the near future.