Hyperthermia generated by magnetic nanoparticles for effective treatment of disseminated peritoneal cancer in an orthotopic nude-mouse model

Design of the distribution of iron oxide (Fe3O4) nano-particle drug in realistic cholangiocarcinoma model and the simulation of temperature increase during magnetic induction hyperthermia

The prognosis for Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is unfavorable, necessitating the development of new therapeutic approach such as magnetic hyperthermia therapy (MHT) which is induced by magnetic nano-particle (MNPs) drug to bridge the treatment gap. Given the deep location of CCA within the abdominal cavity and proximity to vital organs, accurately predict the individualized treatment effects and safety brought by the distribution of MNPs in tumor will be crucial for the advancement of MHT in CCA. The Mimics software was used in this study to conduct three-dimensional reconstruction of abdominal computed tomography (CT) and magnetic reso-nance imaging images from clinical patients, resulting in the generation of a realistic digital geometric model representing the human biliary tract and its adjacent structures. Subsequently, The COMSOL Multiphysics software was utilized for modeling CCA and calculating the heat transfer law resulting from the multi-regional distribution of MNPs in CCA. The temperature within the central region of irregular CCA measured approximately 46°C, and most areas within the tumor displayed temperatures surpassing 41°C. The temperature of the inner edge of CCA is only 39 ~ 41℃, however, it can be ameliorated by adjusting the local drug concentration through simulation system. For CCA with diverse morphologies and anatomical locations, the multi-regional distribution patterns of intratumoral MNPs and a slight overlap of drug distribution areas synergistically enhance intratumoral temperature while ensuring treatment safety. The present study highlights the practicality and imperative of incorporating personalized intratumoral MNPs distribution strategy into clinical practice for MHT, which can be achieved through the development of an integrated simulation system which incorporates medical image data and numerical calculations.

Dual Functional Magnetic Nanoparticles Conjugated with Carbon Quantum Dots for Hyperthermia and Photodynamic Therapy for Cancer

The global incidence of cancer continues to rise, posing a significant public health concern. Although numerous cancer therapies exist, each has limitations and complications. The present study explores alternative cancer treatment approaches, combining hyperthermia and photodynamic therapy (PDT). Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) and amine-functionalized carbon quantum dots (A-CQDs) were synthesized separately and then covalently conjugated to form a single nanosystem for combinational therapy (M-CQDs). The successful conjugation was confirmed using zeta potential, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and UV-visible spectroscopy. Morphological examination in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) further verified the conjugation of CQDs with MNPs. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) revealed that M-CQDs contain approximately 12 weight percentages of carbon. Hyperthermia studies showed that both MNP and M-CQDs maintain a constant therapeutic temperature at lower frequencies (260.84 kHz) with high specific absorption rates (SAR) of 118.11 and 95.04 W/g, respectively. In vitro studies demonstrated that MNPs, A-CQDs, and M-CQDs are non-toxic, and combinational therapy (PDT + hyperthermia) resulted in significantly lower cell viability (~4%) compared to individual therapies. Similar results were obtained with Hoechst and propidium iodide (PI) staining assays. Hence, the combination therapy of PDT and hyperthermia shows promise as a potential alternative to conventional therapies, and it could be further explored in combination with existing conventional treatments.

Emerging therapeutic approaches for peritoneal metastases from gastrointestinal cancers

Peritoneal metastases from gastrointestinal malignancies present difficult management decisions, with options consisting primarily of systemic chemotherapy or major surgery with or without hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy. Current research is investigating expanding therapeutic modalities, and the aim of this review is to provide an overview of the existing and emerging therapies for the peritoneal metastases from gastrointestinal cancers, primarily through the recent literature (2015 and newer). These include the current data with systemic therapy and cytoreduction with hyperthermic intraperitoneal or pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy, as well as novel promising modalities under investigation, including dominating oncolytic viral therapy and adoptive cellular, biologic, and bacteria therapy, or nanotechnology. The novel diverse strategies, although preliminary and preclinical in murine models, individually and collectively contribute to the treatment of peritoneal metastases, offering hope for improved outcomes and quality of life. We foresee that these evolving treatment approaches will facilitate the transfer of knowledge and data among studies and advance discovery of new drugs and optimized treatments for patients with peritoneal metastases.

Nanomedicine and Hyperthermia for the Treatment of Gastrointestinal Cancer: A Systematic Review

The incidence of gastrointestinal cancers has increased in recent years. Current treatments present numerous challenges, including drug resistance, non-specificity, and severe side effects, needing the exploration of new therapeutic strategies. One promising avenue is the use of magnetic nanoparticles, which have gained considerable interest due to their ability to generate heat in tumor regions upon the application of an external alternating magnetic field, a process known as hyperthermia. This review conducted a systematic search of in vitro and in vivo studies published in the last decade that employ hyperthermia therapy mediated by magnetic nanoparticles for treating gastrointestinal cancers. After applying various inclusion and exclusion criteria (studies in the last 10 years where hyperthermia using alternative magnetic field is applied), a total of 40 articles were analyzed. The results revealed that iron oxide is the preferred material for magnetism generation in the nanoparticles, and colorectal cancer is the most studied gastrointestinal cancer. Interestingly, novel therapies employing nanoparticles loaded with chemotherapeutic drugs in combination with magnetic hyperthermia demonstrated an excellent antitumor effect. In conclusion, hyperthermia treatments mediated by magnetic nanoparticles appear to be an effective approach for the treatment of gastrointestinal cancers, offering advantages over traditional therapies.

Nanotherapy based on magneto-mechanochemical modulation of tumor redox state

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNs) are typically used as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging or as drug carriers with a remotely controlled delivery to the tumor. However, they can also potentiate the action of anticancer drugs under the influence of applied constant magnetic (CMFs) and electromagnetic fields (EMFs). This review demonstrates the role of magneto-mechanochemical effects produced by MNs alone and loaded with anticancer agents (MNCs) in response to CMFs and EMFs for modulation of tumor redox state. The combined treatment is suggested to act by two mechanisms: spin-dependent electron transport propagates free radical chain reactions, while magnetomechanical interactions cause conformational changes in drug molecules loaded onto MNs and generate reactive oxygen species (ROS). By adjusting the parameters of CMFs and EMFs during the magneto-mechanochemical synthesis and subsequent treatment, it is possible to modulate ROS production and switch redox signaling involved in ERK1/2 and NF-κB pathways from initiation of tumor growth to inhibition. Observations of tumor volume in different animal models and treatment combinations reported a 6%-70% reduction as compared with conventional drugs. Despite these results, there is a general lack of research in magnetic nanotheranostics that link redox changes across multiple levels of organization in the tumor-bearing host. Further multidisciplinary studies with more focus on the relationship between the electron transport processes in biomolecules and their effects on the tumor-host interaction should accelerate the clinical translation of magnetic nanotheranostics. This article is categorized under: Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Oncologic Disease Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies Nanotechnology Approaches to Biology > Nanoscale Systems in Biology.

Designing Highly Efficient Temperature Controller for Nanoparticles Hyperthermia

This paper presents various control system design techniques for temperature control of Magnetic Fluid hyperthermia. The purpose of this research is to design a cost-effective, efficient, and practically implementable temperature controller for Magnetic Fluid hyperthermia, which is presently under research as a substitute to the radiation and chemotherapy treatment of cancer. The principle of this phenomenon centers on the greater sensitivity of tumor cells to changes in temperature in comparison to healthy cells. Once the nanoparticles reach the desired tissue, it can then be placed in a varying magnetic field to dissipate the heat locally by raising the temperature to 45 °C in order to kill cancerous cells. One of the challenging tasks is to maintain the temperature strictly at desired point i.e., 45 °C. Temperature controller for magnetic fluid hyperthermia provides the tight control of temperature in order to avoid folding of proteins and save the tissues around the cancerous tissue from getting destroyed. In contrast with most of the existing research on this topic, which are based on linear control strategies or their improved versions, the novelty of this research lies in applying nonlinear control technique like Sliding Mode Control (SMC) to accurately control the temperature at desired value. A comparison of the control techniques is presented in this paper, based on reliability, robustness, precision and the ability of the controller to handle the non-linearities that are faced during the treatment of cancer. SMC showed promising results in terms of settling time and rise time. Steady state error was also reduced to zero using this technique.

Immuno-hyperthermia effected by antibody-conjugated nanoparticles selectively targets and eradicates individual cancer cells

Hyperthermia has been used for cancer therapy for a long period of time, but has shown limited clinical efficacy. Induction-heating hyperthermia using the combination of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) and an alternating magnetic field (AMF), termed magnetic hyperthermia (MHT), has previously shown efficacy in an orthotopic mouse model of disseminated gastric cancer. In the present study, superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs), a type of MNP, were conjugated with an anti-HER2 antibody, trastuzumab and termed anti-HER2-antibody-linked SPION nanoparticles (anti-HER2 SPIONs). Anti-HER2 SPIONs selectively targeted HER2-expressing cancer cells co-cultured along with normal fibroblasts and HER2-negative cancer cells and caused apoptosis only in the HER2-expressing individual cancer cells. The results of the present study show proof-of-concept of a novel hyperthermia technology, immuno-MHT for selective cancer therapy, that targets individual cancer cells.Abbreviations: AMF: alternating magnetic field; DDW: double distilled water; DMEM: Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's; Medium; f: frequency; FBS: fetal bovine serum; FITC: Fluorescein isothiocyanate; GFP: green fluorescent protein; H: amplitude; Hsp: heat shock protein; MHT: magnetic hyperthermia; MNPs: magnetic nanoparticles; PI: propidium iodide; RFP: red fluorescent protein; SPION: superparamagnetic iron oxide (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticle.