In this study, for the first time, stem cell membrane (STM)-camouflaged superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIO NPs) were prepared and investigated for potential theranostic applications.
Combining photothermal and photodynamic modalities has shown encouraging therapeutic efficacy against various malignant cancers. Developing a delivery method for targeting and penetrating tumors is still a major focus for advancing this therapeutic approach. Herein, we report a novel strategy involving the utilization of stem cells as a live carrier to codeliver photothermal and photodynamic agents for cancer therapy. To this end, a novel gold nanorod (AuNR)-PEG-PEI (APP)/chlorin e6 (Ce6)-loaded adipose-derived stem cell (ADSC) system is proposed in which AuNRs and Ce6 act as the photothermal and photodynamic agents, respectively. To integrate with stem cells, the APP/Ce6 nanocomplexes exhibit advantages of low drug leakage, low cytotoxicity, efficient cellular uptake, and redoxresponsive release. After loading of APP/Ce6 nanocomplexes, the ADSCs still maintained good tumor tropism and were capable of penetrating into the tumor spheroids. The photothermal effect induced by exposure to near-infrared light irradiation at 808 nm promoted the release of Ce6 from the stem cells into the surroundings and hence increased its availability to treat cancer cells. APP/ Ce6-loaded ADSCs exerted effective dose-dependent in vitro anticancer activities via anticipated photothermal and photodynamic effects. In a murine CT26 colon cancer model, APP/Ce6 delivered by ADSCs resulted in superior tumor suppression compared to other delivery strategies. It was also noted that in vivo applications of APP/Ce6-loaded ADSCs did not induce noticeable detrimental effects on normal tissues/organs.
Magnetofection has received increasing attention for its great potential on gene therapy. To promote its clinical therapeutic applications, development of safe and effective magnetic nanocarriers is in high demand. Herein, we present a redox-sensitive polymer/metal nanocomplex system (PSPIO) for efficient magnetofection and magnet resonance imaging (MRI) on cancer cells. PSPIO was prepared by modifying SPIO with redox-sensitive polyethylenimine (SSPEI) via a ligand exchange process. PSPIO could efficiently condense plasmid DNA (pDNA) into nanoparticles, which exhibited several favorable properties for gene delivery, including protection of nucleic acids from enzymatic degradation, stable colloids in serum, and redox-responsive pDNA release. As a potential MR imaging agent, PSPIO displayed good magnetization (28.3 emu/g) and dose-dependent T2-weighted imaging contrast (R2 = 291.1 s(-1) mM(-1)) in vitro. The use of redox-sensitive SSPEI polymer contributed to much lower cytotoxicity of PSPIO compared to nondegradable bPEI25k. In vitro transfection efficiency of PSPIO was significantly enhanced under an external magnetic field. In the presence of serum, PSPIO exhibited higher transgene expression than SSPEI or bPEI25k polymer on mouse glioma (ALTS1C1) or human prostate cancer (PC3) cell lines. Taken together, it is demonstrated that PSPIO possess great potential for cancer gene therapy and molecular imaging.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.