IntroductionThe efficacy of a chemotherapy drug in cancer therapy is highly determined by the ability to control the rate and extent of its release in vivo. However, the lack of techniques to accurately control drug release drastically limits the potency of a chemotherapy drug.Materials and methodsHere, we present a novel strategy to precisely monitor drug release under magnetic stimulation. Methotrexate (MTX), an anticancer drug, was covalently functionalized onto iron–gold alloy magnetic nanoparticles (Fe–Au alloy nanoparticles or NFAs) through 2-aminoethanethiol grafting and the ability of this drug–nanoparticle conjugate (NFA–MTX) in limiting HepG2 (liver carcinoma) cell growth was studied. Well-dispersed NFAs were prepared through pyrolysis.Results and discussionTransmission electron microscopy revealed the average nanoparticle size to be 7.22±2.6 nm, while X-ray diffraction showed distinct 2θ peaks for iron and gold, confirming the presence of iron and gold nanoparticles. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry revealed that the amount of NFA–MTX conjugate ingested by HepG2 cancer cells was 1.5 times higher than that ingested by L929 fibroblasts, thereby proving a higher selective ingestion by cancer cells compared to normal cells. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy revealed the breakage of Au-S bonds by the heat generated under magnetic field stimulation to release MTX from the NFA–MTX conjugate, triggering a 95% decrease in cellular viability at 100 µg/mL.ConclusionThe ability of NFA–MTX to dissociate under the influence of an applied magnetic field provides a new strategy to induce cancer cell death via hyperthermia. Applications in drug delivery, drug development, and cancer research are expected.
The delineation of brain tumor margins has been a challenging objective in neurosurgery for decades. Despite the development of various preoperative imaging techniques, the current methodology is still insufficient for clinical practice. We present an intraoperative optical intrinsic signal imaging system for brain tumor surgery and establish a data processing procedure model to localize tumors. From the experimental result of a glioblastoma patient, we observe a relative small oscillation of ΔHbD in tumor region and speculate that vessels in tumor region have poor ability to provide oxygen. We applied the same data processing procedure on the second time data and proclaimed a successful surgery. Figure: Merged ΔHbD image captured prior and posterior to tumor removal.
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