Stimuli-responsive nanotheranostics intended for oncological diseases: In vitro evaluation of their target, diagnostic and drug release capabilities.

MARÍA GABRIELA MONTIEL SCHNEIDER; MARCOS GRÜNHUT; PAMELA AZCONA; VERÓNICA LETICIA LASSALLE

NEW JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY

ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY

Lugar: CAMBRIDGE; Año: 2018 vol. 43 p. 2126 - 2133

1144-0546

Magnetic nanotheranostics were designed from iron oxide nanoparticles (MNPs) functionalized with folic acid (FA) and loaded with Doxorubicin (Doxo) as a therapeutic agent. The Doxo incorporation was carefully examined to attain satisfactory drug loading efficiency. The magnet-guiding ability was in vitro examined. To do this, a novel continuous flow system was fabricated to quantify the amount of MNPs retained in the magnet site in an environment and conditions mimicking the bloodstream. The obtained data suggest that almost 21% of the total circulating nanoparticles were accumulated in target site after 45min of assay. Such amount assured the doses of Doxo commonly employed during in vivo studies. Doxo release was analysed by implementing an original procedure devoted to simulate the pathways followed by MNPs once intravenous administrated. From these studies, reliable data on the amount of drug that effectively reach the target site was obtained. The efficiency of the nanosystems as selective contrast agents in MRI was analysed using a clinical 1.5T equipment. Their potential as T2 weighted contrast media was demonstrated. The data collected within this work appear as the former initial stage to validate the nanotheranostics before in vivo evaluation of this novel technology.