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Systemically Delivered Magnetic Hyperthermia for Cancer Treatment
Despite advances in treatment, cancer remains among the leading causes of death in the world. Progress in the treatment of metastatic cancers was seen with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, however, the major drawbacks of conventional cancer therapies are limited efficacy and severe side effects. Magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH) is a new cancer treatment approach being investigated in preclinical research. It has the ability to localize heat specifically in the tumor upon exposing magnetic nanoparticles, such as iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs), to alternating magnetic field - with limited toxicity in normal tissue. IONPs have been intensively explored in the application of magnetic hyperthermia due to their unique magnetic properties. The intratumorally injected IONPs can generate the required heat (41- 45 °C) to induce apoptosis. Intratumoral injection provides the required amount of IONPs to generate enough heat to kill cancer cells with low systemic toxicity. However, the intratumoral injection is invasive and limited to localized and relatively accessible solid tumors. In contrast, systemic injection is minimally invasive and can deliver nanoparticles to poorly defined, non-localized cancer tumors of various shapes and sizes, including small metastatic tumor growth.
To overcome the current limitations of intravenous administration of IONPs and their heating ability, we have developed magnetic nanoclusters that can be delivered systemically and produce higher heating efficiency in comparison with conventional IONPs. Magnetic nanoclusters have shown an efficient cytotoxic effect in tumor cell lines and resulted in suppressing tumor growth in mouse models of ovarian and prostate cancer. They are safe and biocompatible without noticeable side effects in mice