Magnetoelectric nanoparticles for delivery of antitumor peptides into glioblastoma cells by magnetic fields

Multiphysics simulation of magnetoelectric micro core-shells for wireless cellular stimulation therapy via magnetic temporal interference

This paper presents an innovative approach to wireless cellular stimulation therapy through the design of a magnetoelectric (ME) microdevice. Traditional electrophysiological stimulation techniques for neural and deep brain stimulation face limitations due to their reliance on electronics, electrode arrays, or the complexity of magnetic induction. In contrast, the proposed ME microdevice offers a self-contained, controllable, battery-free, and electronics-free alternative, holding promise for targeted precise stimulation of biological cells and tissues. The designed microdevice integrates core shell ME materials with remote coils which applies magnetic temporal interference (MTI) signals, leading to the generation of a bipolar local electric stimulation current operating at low frequencies which is suitable for precise stimulation. The nonlinear property of the magnetostrictive core enables the demodulation of remotely applied high-frequency electromagnetic fields, resulting in a localized, tunable, and manipulatable electric potential on the piezoelectric shell surface. This potential, triggers electrical spikes in neural cells, facilitating stimulation. Rigorous computational simulations support this concept, highlighting a significantly high ME coupling factor generation of 550 V/m·Oe. The high ME coupling is primarily attributed to the operation of the device in its mechanical resonance modes. This achievement is the result of a carefully designed core shell structure operating at the MTI resonance frequencies, coupled with an optimal magnetic bias, and predetermined piezo shell thickness. These findings underscore the potential of the engineered ME core shell as a candidate for wireless and minimally invasive cellular stimulation therapy, characterized by high resolution and precision. These results open new avenues for injectable material structures capable of delivering effective cellular stimulation therapy, carrying implications across neuroscience medical devices, and regenerative medicine.

Low-frequency magnetic fields potentiate plasma-modified magneto-electric nanoparticle drug loading for anticancer activity in vitro and in vivo

A multiferroic nanostructure of manganese ferrite barium-titanate called magneto-electric nanoparticles (MENs) was synthesized by a co-precipitation method. FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, TEM, and X-ray diffraction confirmed the presence of spinel core and perovskite shell phases with average crystallite sizes of 70-90 nm. Magnetic, optical, and magnetoelectrical properties of MENs were investigated using VSM, UV-Vis spectrophotometry, DLS, and EIS spectroscopy techniques. After pre-activation by low-pressure argon (Ar) plasma, the MENs were functionalized by a highly hydrophilic acrylic acid and Oxygen (AAc+O2) mixture to produce COOH and C=O-rich surfaces. The loading and release of doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) on MENs were investigated using UV-vis and fluorescence spectrophotometry under alternating low-frequency magnetic fields. Plasma treatment enabled drug-loading control by changing the particles' roughness as physical adsorption and creating functional groups for chemical absorption. This led to reduced metabolic activity and cell adherences associated with elevated expression of pro-apoptotic genes (BCL-2, caspase 3) in 4T1 breast cancer cells in vitro exposed to alternating current magnetic field (ACMF) compared to MENs-DOX without field exposure. ACMF-potentiated anticancer effects of MENs were validated in vivo in tumor-bearing Balb/C mice. Altogether, our results suggest potentiated drug loading of MENs showing superior anticancer activity in vitro and in vivo when combined with ACMF.

Nanomedicine and nanobiotechnology applications of magnetoelectric nanoparticles

Unlike any other nanoparticles known to date, magnetoelectric nanoparticles (MENPs) can generate relatively strong electric fields locally via the application of magnetic fields and, vice versa, have their magnetization change in response to an electric field from the microenvironment. Hence, MENPs can serve as a wireless two-way interface between man-made devices and physiological systems at the molecular level. With the recent development of room-temperature biocompatible MENPs, a number of novel potential medical applications have emerged. These applications include wireless brain stimulation and mapping/recording of neural activity in real-time, targeted delivery across the blood-brain barrier (BBB), tissue regeneration, high-specificity cancer cures, molecular-level rapid diagnostics, and others. Several independent in vivo studies, using mice and nonhuman primates models, demonstrated the capability to deliver MENPs in the brain across the BBB via intravenous injection or, alternatively, bypassing the BBB via intranasal inhalation of the nanoparticles. Wireless deep brain stimulation with MENPs was demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo in different rodents models by several independent groups. High-specificity cancer treatment methods as well as tissue regeneration approaches with MENPs were proposed and demonstrated in in vitro models. A number of in vitro and in vivo studies were dedicated to understand the underlying mechanisms of MENPs-based high-specificity targeted drug delivery via application of d.c. and a.c. magnetic fields. This article is categorized under: Nanotechnology Approaches to Biology > Nanoscale Systems in Biology Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Neurological Disease Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Oncologic Disease Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies.

A Comprehensive Review on Barium Titanate Nanoparticles as a Persuasive Piezoelectric Material for Biomedical Applications: Prospects and Challenges

Stimulation of cells with electrical cues is an imperative approach to interact with biological systems and has been exploited in clinical practices over a wide range of pathological ailments. This bioelectric interface has been extensively explored with the help of piezoelectric materials, leading to remarkable advancement in the past two decades. Among other members of this fraternity, colloidal perovskite barium titanate (BaTiO₃ ) has gained substantial interest due to its noteworthy properties which includes high dielectric constant and excellent ferroelectric properties along with acceptable biocompatibility. Significant progression is witnessed for BaTiO₃ nanoparticles (BaTiO₃ NPs) as potent candidates for biomedical applications and in wearable bioelectronics, making them a promising personal healthcare platform. The current review highlights the nanostructured piezoelectric bio interface of BaTiO₃ NPs in applications comprising drug delivery, tissue engineering, bioimaging, bioelectronics, and wearable devices. Particular attention has been dedicated toward the fabrication routes of BaTiO₃ NPs along with different approaches for its surface modifications. This review offers a comprehensive discussion on the utility of BaTiO₃ NPs as active devices rather than passive structural unit behaving as carriers for biomolecules. The employment of BaTiO₃ NPs presents new scenarios and opportunity in the vast field of nanomedicines for biomedical applications.

Synthesis and Functional Characterization of CoxFe3-xO4-BaTiO3 Magnetoelectric Nanocomposites for Biomedical Applications

Nowadays, magnetoelectric nanomaterials are on their way to finding wide applications in biomedicine for various cancer and neurological disease treatment, which is mainly restricted by their relatively high toxicity and complex synthesis. This study for the first time reports novel magnetoelectric nanocomposites of Co_xFe_3-xO₄-BaTiO₃ series with tuned magnetic phase structures, which were synthesized via a two-step chemical approach in polyol media. The magnetic Co_xFe_3-xO₄ phases with x = 0.0, 0.5, and 1.0 were obtained by thermal decomposition in triethylene glycol media. The magnetoelectric nanocomposites were synthesized by the decomposition of barium titanate precursors in the presence of a magnetic phase under solvothermal conditions and subsequent annealing at 700 °C. X-ray diffraction revealed the presence of both spinel and perovskite phases after annealing with average crystallite sizes in the range of 9.0-14.5 nm. Transmission electron microscopy data showed two-phase composite nanostructures consisting of ferrites and barium titanate. The presence of interfacial connections between magnetic and ferroelectric phases was confirmed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Magnetization data showed expected ferrimagnetic behavior and σ_s decrease after the nanocomposite formation. Magnetoelectric coefficient measurements after the annealing showed non-linear change with a maximum of 89 mV/cm*Oe with x = 0.5, 74 mV/cm*Oe with x = 0, and a minimum of 50 mV/cm*Oe with x = 0.0 core composition, that corresponds with the coercive force of the nanocomposites: 240 Oe, 89 Oe and 36 Oe, respectively. The obtained nanocomposites show low toxicity in the whole studied concentration range of 25-400 μg/mL on CT-26 cancer cells. The synthesized nanocomposites show low cytotoxicity and high magnetoelectric effects, therefore they can find wide applications in biomedicine.

Biocompatible, Multi-Mode, Fluorescent, T2 MRI Contrast Magnetoelectric-Silica Nanoparticles (MagSiNs), for On-Demand Doxorubicin Delivery to Metastatic Cancer Cells

There is a need to improve current cancer treatment regimens to reduce systemic toxicity, to positively impact the quality-of-life post-treatment. We hypothesized the negation of off-target toxicity of anthracyclines (e.g., Doxorubicin) by delivering Doxorubicin on magneto-electric silica nanoparticles (Dox-MagSiNs) to cancer cells. Dox-MagSiNs were completely biocompatible with all cell types and are therapeutically inert till the release of Doxorubicin from the MagSiNs at the cancer cells location. The MagSiNs themselves are comprised of biocompatible components with a magnetostrictive cobalt ferrite core (4−6 nm) surrounded by a piezoelectric fused silica shell of 1.5 nm to 2 nm thickness. The MagSiNs possess T2-MRI contrast properties on par with RESOVIST™ due to their cobalt ferrite core. Additionally, the silica shell surrounding the core was volume loaded with green or red fluorophores to fluorescently track the MagSiNs in vitro. This makes the MagSiNs a suitable candidate for trackable, drug nanocarriers. We used metastatic triple-negative breast cancer cells (MDAMB231), ovarian cancer cells (A2780), and prostate cancer cells (PC3) as our model cancer cell lines. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were used as control cell lines to represent blood-vessel cells that suffer from the systemic toxicity of Doxorubicin. In the presence of an external magnetic field that is 300× times lower than an MRI field, we successfully nanoporated the cancer cells, then triggered the release of 500 nM of doxorubicin from Dox-MagSiNs to successfully kill >50% PC3, >50% A2780 cells, and killed 125% more MDAMB231 cells than free Dox.HCl. In control HUVECs, the Dox-MagSiNs did not nanoporate into the HUVECS and did not exhibited any cytotoxicity at all when there was no triggered release of Dox.HCl. Currently, the major advantages of our approach are, (i) the MagSiNs are biocompatible in vitro and in vivo; (ii) the label-free nanoporation of Dox-MagSiNs into cancer cells and not the model blood vessel cell line; (iii) the complete cancellation of the cytotoxicity of Doxorubicin in the Dox-MagSiNs form; (iv) the clinical impact of such a nanocarrier will be that it will be possible to increase the current upper limit for cumulative-dosages of anthracyclines through multiple dosing, which in turn will improve the anti-cancer efficacy of anthracyclines.

Biosensors and Drug Delivery in Oncotheranostics Using Inorganic Synthetic and Biogenic Magnetic Nanoparticles

Magnetic nanocarriers have attracted attention in translational oncology due to their ability to be employed both for tumor diagnostics and therapy. This review summarizes data on applications of synthetic and biogenic magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) in oncological theranostics and related areas. The basics of both types of MNPs including synthesis approaches, structure, and physicochemical properties are discussed. The properties of synthetic MNPs and biogenic MNPs are compared with regard to their antitumor therapeutic efficiency, diagnostic potential, biocompatibility, and cellular toxicity. The comparative analysis demonstrates that both synthetic and biogenic MNPs could be efficiently used for cancer theranostics, including biosensorics and drug delivery. At the same time, reduced toxicity of biogenic particles was noted, which makes them advantageous for in vivo applications, such as drug delivery, or MRI imaging of tumors. Adaptability to surface modification based on natural biochemical processes is also noted, as well as good compatibility with tumor cells and proliferation in them. Advances in the bionanotechnology field should lead to the implementation of MNPs in clinical trials.

Modeling of core-shell magneto-electric nanoparticles for biomedical applications: Effect of composition, dimension, and magnetic field features on magnetoelectric response

The recent development of core-shell nanoparticles which combine strain coupled magnetostrictive and piezoelectric phases, has attracted a lot of attention due to their ability to yield strong magnetoelectric effect even at room temperature, thus making them a promising tool to enable biomedical applications. To fully exploit their potentialities and to adapt their use to in vivo applications, this study analyzes, through a numerical approach, their magnetoelectric behavior, shortly quantified by the magnetoelectric coupling coefficient (α_ME), thus providing an important milestone for the characterization of the magnetoelectric effect at the nanoscale. In view of recent evidence showing that α_ME is strongly affected by both the applied magnetic field DC bias and AC frequency, this study implements a nonlinear model, based on magnetic hysteresis, to describe the responses of two different core-shell nanoparticles to various magnetic field excitation stimuli. The proposed model is also used to evaluate to which extent realistic variables such as core diameter and shell thickness affect the electric output. Results prove that α_ME of 80 nm cobalt ferrite-barium titanate (CFO-BTO) nanoparticles with a 60:40 ratio is equal to about 0.28 V/cm∙Oe corresponding to electric fields up to about 1000 V/cm when a strong DC bias is applied. However, the same electric output can be obtained even in absence of DC field with very low AC fields, by exploiting the hysteretic characteristics of the same composites. The analysis of core and shell dimension is as such to indicate that, to maximize α_ME, larger core diameter and thinner shell nanoparticles should be preferred. These results, taken together, suggest that it is possible to tune magnetoelectric nanoparticles electric responses by controlling their composition and their size, thus opening the opportunity to adapt their structure on the specific application to pursue.

Modelling of magnetoelectric nanoparticles for non-invasive brain stimulation: a computational study

OBJECTIVE

Recently developed magnetoelectric nanoparticles (MENPs) provide a potential tool to enable different biomedical applications. They could be used to overcome the intrinsic constraints posed by traditional neurostimulation techniques, namely the invasiveness of electrodes-based techniques, the limited spatial resolution, and the scarce efficiency of magnetic stimulation.

APPROACH

By using computational electromagnetic techniques, we modelled the behavior of recently designed biocompatible MENPs injected, in the shape of clusters, in specific cortical targets of a highly detailed anatomical head model. The distributions and the tissue penetration of the electric fields induced by MENPs clusters in each tissue will be compared to the distributions induced by traditional TMS coils for non-invasive brain stimulation positioned on the left prefrontal cortex of a highly detailed anatomical head model.

MAIN RESULTS

MENPs clusters can induce highly focused electric fields with amplitude close to the neural activation threshold in all the brain tissues of interest for the treatment of most neuropsychiatric disorders. Conversely, TMS coils can induce electric fields of several tens of V/m over a broad volume of the prefrontal cortex, but they are unlikely able to efficiently stimulate even small volumes of subcortical and deep tissues.

SIGNIFICANCE

Our numerical results suggest that the use of MENPs for brain stimulation may potentially led to a future pinpoint treatment of neuropshychiatric disorders, in which an impairment of electric activity of specific cortical and subcortical tissues and networks has been assumed to play a crucial role.

Metal-Based Nanostructured Therapeutic Strategies for Glioblastoma Treatment-An Update

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most commonly diagnosed and most lethal primary malignant brain tumor in adults. Standard treatments are ineffective, and despite promising results obtained in early phases of experimental clinical trials, the prognosis of GBM remains unfavorable. Therefore, there is need for exploration and development of innovative methods that aim to establish new therapies or increase the effectiveness of existing therapies. One of the most exciting new strategies enabling combinatory treatment is the usage of nanocarriers loaded with chemotherapeutics and/or other anticancer compounds. Nanocarriers exhibit unique properties in antitumor therapy, as they allow highly efficient drug transport into cells and sustained intracellular accumulation of the delivered cargo. They can be infused into and are retained by GBM tumors, and potentially can bypass the blood-brain barrier. One of the most promising and extensively studied groups of nanostructured therapeutics are metal-based nanoparticles. These theranostic nanocarriers demonstrate relatively low toxicity, thus they might be applied for both diagnosis and therapy. In this article, we provide an update on metal-based nanostructured constructs in the treatment of GBM. We focus on the interaction of metal nanoparticles with various forms of electromagnetic radiation for use in photothermal, photodynamic, magnetic hyperthermia and ionizing radiation sensitization applications.

Where do we stand now regarding treatment of psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders? Considerations in using magnetoelectric nanoparticles as an innovative approach

Almost 1000 million people have recently been diagnosed with a mental health or substance disorder (Ritchie & Roser, 2018). Psychiatric disorders, and their treatment, represent a big burden to the society worldwide, causing about 8 million deaths per year (Walker et al., 2015). Daily progress in science enables continuous advances in methods to treat patients; however, the brain remains to be the most unknown and complex organ of the body. There is a growing demand for innovative approaches to treat psychiatric as well as neurodegenerative disorders, disorders with unknown curability, and treatments mostly designed to slow disease progression. Based on that need and the peculiarity of the central nervous system, in the present review, we highlight the handicaps of the existing approaches as well as discuss the potential of the recently introduced magnetoelectric nanoparticles (MENPs) to become a game-changing tool in future applications for the treatment of brain alterations. Unlike other stimulation approaches, MENPs have the potential to enable a wirelessly controlled stimulation at a single-neuron level without requiring genetic modification of the neural tissue and no toxicity has yet been reported. Their potential as a new tool for targeting the brain is discussed. This article is categorized under: Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Cardiovascular Disease Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Neurological Disease.

Recent advances, status, and opportunities of magneto-electric nanocarriers for biomedical applications

Magneto-electric (ME) materials with core-shell architecture where the core is made of magnetic materials have emerged as an attractive nanomaterial due to the coupling of magnetic and electric properties in the same material and the fact that both fields can be controlled which allows an on-demand, transport and release of loaded cargo. Over the last decade, biomedical engineers and researchers from various interdisciplinary fields have successfully demonstrated promising properties ranging from therapeutic delivery to sensing, and neuromodulation using ME materials. In this review, we systematically summarize developments in various biomedical fields using the nanoforms of these materials. Herein, we also highlight various promising biomedical applications where the ME nanocarriers are encapsulated in other materials such as gels and liposomes and their potential for promising therapeutics and diagnostic applications.

A review of recent advances in magnetic nanoparticle-based theranostics of glioblastoma

Rapid vascular growth, infiltrative cells and high tumor heterogenicity are some glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) characteristics, making it the most lethal form of brain cancer. Low efficacy of the conventional treatment modalities leads to rampant disease progression and a median survival of 15 months. Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), due to their unique physical features/inherent abilities, have emerged as a suitable theranostic platform for targeted GBM treatment. Thus, new strategies are being designed to enhance the efficiency of existing therapeutic techniques such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and so on, using MNPs. Herein, the limitations of the current therapeutic strategies, the role of MNPs in mitigating those inadequacies, recent advances in the MNP-based theranostics of GBM and possible future directions are discussed.

Magnetic nanoparticles in theranostics of malignant melanoma

Malignant melanoma is an aggressive tumor with a tendency to metastasize early and with an increasing incidence worldwide. Although in early stage, melanoma is well treatable by excision, the chances of cure and thus the survival rate decrease dramatically after metastatic spread. Conventional treatment options for advanced disease include surgical resection of metastases, chemotherapy, radiation, targeted therapy and immunotherapy. Today, targeted kinase inhibitors and immune checkpoint blockers have for the most part replaced less effective chemotherapies. Magnetic nanoparticles as novel agents for theranostic purposes have great potential in the treatment of metastatic melanoma. In the present review, we provide a brief overview of treatment options for malignant melanoma with different magnetic nanocarriers for theranostics. We also discuss current efforts of designing magnetic particles for combined, multimodal therapies (e.g., chemotherapy, immunotherapy) for malignant melanoma.

Permeation Challenges of Drugs for Treatment of Neurological Tuberculosis and HIV and the Application of Magneto-Electric Nanoparticle Drug Delivery Systems

The anatomical structure of the brain at the blood-brain barrier (BBB) creates a limitation for the movement of drugs into the central nervous system (CNS). Drug delivery facilitated by magneto-electric nanoparticles (MENs) is a relatively new non-invasive approach for the delivery of drugs into the CNS. These nanoparticles (NPs) can create localized transient changes in the permeability of the cells of the BBB by inducing electroporation. MENs can be applied to deliver antiretrovirals and antibiotics towards the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and tuberculosis (TB) infections in the CNS. This review focuses on the drug permeation challenges and reviews the application of MENs for drug delivery for these diseases. We conclude that MENs are promising systems for effective CNS drug delivery and treatment for these diseases, however, further pre-clinical and clinical studies are required to achieve translation of this approach to the clinic.

Magnetoelectric effect: principles and applications in biology and medicine- a review

Magnetoelectric (ME) effect experimentally discovered about 60 years ago remains one of the promising research fields with the main applications in microelectronics and sensors. However, its applications to biology and medicine are still in their infancy. For the diagnosis and treatment of diseases at the intracellular level, it is necessary to develop a maximally non-invasive way of local stimulation of individual neurons, navigation, and distribution of biomolecules in damaged cells with relatively high efficiency and adequate spatial and temporal resolution. Recently developed ME materials (composites), which combine elastically coupled piezoelectric (PE) and magnetostrictive (MS) phases, have been shown to yield very strong ME effects even at room temperature. This makes them a promising toolbox for solving many problems of modern medicine. The main ME materials, processing technologies, as well as most prospective biomedical applications will be overviewed, and modern trends in using ME materials for future therapies, wireless power transfer, and optogenetics will be considered.

Synthesis, Characterization, Anti-Cancer Analysis of Sr0.5Ba0.5DyxSmxFe8-2xO19 (0.00 ≤ x ≤ 1.0) Microsphere Nanocomposites

There is enormous interest in combining two or more nanoparticles for various biomedical applications, especially in anti-cancer agent delivery. In this study, the microsphere nanoparticles were prepared (MSNPs) and their impact on cancer cells was examined. The MSNPs were prepared by using the hydrothermal method where strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), dysprosium (Dy), samarium (Sm), and iron oxide (Fe_8−2xO₁₉) were combined, and dysprosium (Dy) and samarium (Sm) was substituted with strontium (Sr) and barium (Ba), preparing Sr_0.5Ba_0.5Dy_xSm_xFe_8−2xO₁₉ (0.00 ≤ x ≤ 1.0) MSNPs. The microspheres were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) techniques. The diffraction pattern of nanohexaferrites (NHFs) reflected the signature peaks of the hexagonal structure. The XRD revealed a pure hexagonal structure without any undesired phase, which indicated the homogeneity of the products. The crystal size of the nanoparticles were in the range of 22 to 36 nm by Scherrer’s equation. The SEM of MSNPs showed a semi-spherical shape with a high degree of aggregation. TEM and HR-TEM images of MSNPs verified the spherical shape morphology and structure that approved an M-type hexaferrite formation. The anti-cancer activity was examined on HCT-116 (human colorectal carcinoma) and HeLa (cervical cancer cells) using MTT (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay and post-48 h treatment of MSNPs caused a dose-dependent inhibition of HCT-116 and HeLa cell proliferation and growth. Conversely, no significant cytotoxic effect was observed on HEK-293 cells. The treatments of MSNPs also induced cancer cells DNA disintegration, as revealed by 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining. Finally, these findings suggest that synthesized MSNPs possess potential inhibitory actions on cancerous cells without harming normal cells.

Size-dependent intranasal administration of magnetoelectric nanoparticles for targeted brain localization

The brain is a massive network of neurons which are interconnected through chemical and electrical field oscillations. It is hard to overestimate the significance of the ability to control chemical and physical properties of the network at both the collective and single-cell levels. Most psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases are typically characterized by certain aberrations of these oscillations. Recently, magnetoelectric nanoparticles (MENs) have been introduced to achieve the desired control. MENs effectively enable wirelessly controlled nanoelectrodes deep in the brain. Although MENs have been shown to cross the blood-brain barrier via intravenous (IV) administration, achieving adequate efficacy of the delivery remains an open question. Herein, through in vivo studies on a mouse model, we demonstrate at least a 4-fold improved efficacy of the targeted delivery of MENs across BBB via intranasal administration compared to an equivalent IV administration.

Review on the advancements of magnetic gels: towards multifunctional magnetic liposome-hydrogel composites for biomedical applications

Magnetic gels have been gaining great attention in nanomedicine, as they combine features of hydrogels and magnetic nanoparticles into a single system. The incorporation of liposomes in magnetic gels further leads to a more robust multifunctional system enabling more functions and spatiotemporal control required for biomedical applications, which includes on-demand drug release. In this review, magnetic gels components are initially introduced, as well as an overview of advancements on the development, tuneability, manipulation and application of these materials. After a discussion of the advantages of combining hydrogels with liposomes, the properties, fabrication strategies and applications of magnetic liposome-hydrogel composites (magnetic lipogels or magnetolipogels) are reviewed. Overall, the progress of magnetic gels towards smart multifunctional materials are emphasized, considering the contributions for future developments.

Field-controlled magnetoelectric core-shell CoFe2O4@BaTiO3 nanoparticles as effective drug carriers and drug release in vitro

The targeted drug release at tumor cells while sparing normal cells is a huge challenge. Core-shell magnetoelectric (ME) nanoparticles have addressed this problem using shape-dependent magneto-electric attributes. The colloidally stable, core-shell cobalt ferrite@barium titanate (CFO@BTO) ME nanoparticles (NPs) used for in vitro study were synthesized using sonochemical method. The structural characteristics and core-shell morphology were analyzed by X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) respectively. Further magnetic and exchange coupling between two phases of ME nanostructures were studied at room temperature. Colloidal stability was studied in different suspension solutions (Water, SBB, PBS, and DMEM) using dynamic light scattering. Subsequently, the synthesized nanoparticles were functionalized with anticancer drugs including doxorubicin and methotrexate up to 80% via (EDC) chemistry. In vitro cytotoxicity studies carried out on human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) and human malignant melanoma (HT144), cells validated the magneto-electric property of CFO@BTO nano-carriers in the presence of external magnetic field (5 mT), with significantly enhanced cytotoxicity when compared to free drugs and without field replicates. The resulted IC₅₀ values ranging from 5.3-7.3 μg/ml compared to 30.1-43.1 μg/ml in the absence of a magnetic field also confirmed the involved physical attributes of magnetoelectric nanostructures. The fluorescent microscopy results also indicated the increased apoptosis in magnetic field-assisted samples. Finally, hemolysis assay indicated the suitability of CFO@BTO nano-carriers for intravenous applications at IC₅₀ concentration.

Recent advancements in brain tumor targeting using magnetic nanoparticles

Transport of drugs through the blood-brain barrier to the brain and the toxic effects of drugs on the healthy cells can limit the effectiveness of chemotherapeutic agents. In recent years, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have received much attention as targeted therapeutic and diagnostic systems due to their simplicity, ease of preparation and ability to tailor their properties such as their composition, size, surface morphology, etc. for biomedical applications. MNPs are utilized in drug delivery, radio therapeutics, hyperthermia treatment, gene therapy, biotherapeutics and diagnostic imaging. The present review will address the challenges in brain tumor targeting and discuss the application and recent developments in brain tumor targeting using MNPs.

Technobiology's Enabler: The Magnetoelectric Nanoparticle

To enable patient- and disease-specific diagnostic and treatment at the intracellular level in real time, it is imperative to engineer a perfect way to locally stimulate selected individual neurons, navigate and dispense a cargo of biomolecules into damaged cells or image sites with relatively high efficacy and with adequate spatial and temporal resolutions. Significant progress has been made using biotechnology; especially with the development of bioinformatics, there are endless molecular databases to identify biomolecules to target almost any disease-specific biomarker. Conversely, the technobiology approach that exploits advanced engineering to control underlying molecular mechanisms to recover biosystem's energy states at the molecular level as well as at the level of the entire network of cells (i.e., the internet of the human body) is still in its early research stage. The recently developed magnetoelectric nanoparticles (MENPs) provide a tool to enable the unique capabilities of technobiology. Using exemplary studies that could potentially lead to future pinpoint treatment and prevention of cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and HIV, this article discusses how MENPs could become a vital enabling tool of technobiology.

Effects of nanoscale electric fields on the histology of liver cell dysplasia

Cells electrical fields have a significant role in cell function.

AIM

The current study examined the effects of nanoscale electric fields generated by magneto-electric nanoparticles (MENs) on precancerous liver tissue.

METHODS & RESULTS

A total of 30 nm MENs synthesized by sol-gel method were tested in vitro on HepG2 cells and in vivo on liver cell dysplasia in mice, which were exposed to 50 Hz 2 mT for 2 weeks, +/- MENs. MENs with alternating field (AF) reversed liver cells dysplastic features. In vitro cytotoxicity assay showed high lethal dose (LD 50) of 1.4 mg/ml. We also report on the expression of alpha-fetoprotein and cytochrome C.

CONCLUSION

MEN-generated nanoscale electric fields have significant biological effects on precancerous liver cells.

Remotely controlled opening of delivery vehicles and release of cargo by external triggers

Tremendous efforts have been devoted to the development of future nanomedicines that can be specifically designed to incorporate responsive elements that undergo modification in structural properties upon external triggers. One potential use of such stimuli-responsive materials is to release encapsulated cargo upon excitation by an external trigger. Today, such stimuli-response materials allow for spatial and temporal tunability, which enables the controlled delivery of compounds in a specific and dose-dependent manner. This potentially is of great interest for medicine (e.g. allowing for remotely controlled drug delivery to cells, etc.). Among the different external exogenous and endogenous stimuli used to control the desired release, light and magnetic fields offer interesting possibilities, allowing defined, real time control of intracellular releases. In this review we highlight the use of stimuli-responsive controlled release systems that are able to respond to light and magnetic field triggers for controlling the release of encapsulated cargo inside cells. We discuss established approaches and technologies and describe prominent examples. Special attention is devoted towards polymer capsules and polymer vesicles as containers for encapsulated cargo molecules. The advantages and disadvantages of this methodology in both, in vitro and in vivo models are discussed. An overview of challenges associate with the successful translation of those stimuli-responsive materials towards future applications in the direction of potential clinical use is given.