Cancer treatment by magneto-mechanical effect of particles (TMMEP), using low frequency magnetic stimulation, is a growing research field. This review reports the main in vitro and in vivo results, summarizing the various approaches and perspectives.

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We have developed a method that allows a semi-quantitative evaluation of targeting efficiency in tumors, which could be applied to different T contrast agents.

Iron oxide nanoparticles have received remarkable attention in different applications. For biomedical applications, they need to possess suitable core size, acceptable hydrodynamic diameter, high saturation magnetization, and reduced toxicity. Our aim is to control the synthesis parameters of nanostructured iron oxides in order to obtain magnetite nanoparticles in a single step, in environmentally friendly conditions, under inert gas atmosphere. The physical–chemical, structural, magnetic, and biocompatible properties of magnetite prepared by hydrothermal method in different temperature and pressure conditions have been explored. Magnetite formation has been proved by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction characterization. It has been found that crystallite size increases with pressure and temperature increase, while hydrodynamic diameter is influenced by temperature. Magnetic measurements indicated that the magnetic core of particles synthesized at high temperature is larger, in accordance with the crystallite size analysis. Particles synthesized at 100 °C have nearly identical magnetic moments, at 20 × 103 μB, corresponding to magnetic cores of 10–11 nm, while the particles synthesized at 200 °C show slightly higher magnetic moments (25 × 103 μB) and larger magnetic cores (13 nm). Viability test results revealed that the particles show only minor intrinsic toxicity, meaning that these particles could be suited for biomedical applications.

In this work we present a new type of magnetite microparticles made by ball milling and study the influence of PEG surface functionalization on their ability to induce cell death when subjected to a low frequency magnetic field.

Amphiphilic triblock (Atri) copolymers made of perfluorinated alkyl chain linked to hydrocarbon chain and methoxy-poly(ethylene glycol) of three different molecular weights were synthesized. In vitro evaluation demonstrated that these new compounds were noncytotoxic. Characterization and interaction of each triblock copolymer with a branched polyamine myristoyl lipid (2-{3[bis-(3-amino-propyl)-amino]-propylamino}- N-ditetradecyl carbamoyl methyl-acetamide, DMAPAP) were studied by the Langmuir film method and thermal analysis. The triblock copolymer/cationic lipids (1:10, w/w) were mixed with perfluorobutane gas to form microbubbles (MBs). The latter were characterized by optical microscopy to get the microbubble size and concentration by densimetry to determine the amount of encapsulated gas and by ultrasound to assess oscillation properties. Atri with the lowest and intermediate weights were shown to interact with the cationic lipid DMAPAP and stabilize the Langmuir film. In that case, monodisperse microbubbles ranging from 2.3 ± 0.1 to 2.8 ± 0.1 μm were obtained. The proportion of encapsulated gas within the MB shell increased up to 3 times after the incorporation of the copolymer with the lowest and intermediate weights. Moreover, the acoustic response of the microbubbles was maintained in the presence of the copolymers.