Functional magnetic Prussian blue nanoparticles for enhanced gene transfection and photothermal ablation of tumor cells

Abstract

Gene therapy has been developed as an innovative therapeutic modality in the past few decades for treatment of various fatal diseases such as cancer. However, the lack of gene carriers with reliable biosafety and loading capacity is still impeding the practical applications of gene therapy. Meanwhile, it becomes a trend to combine multiple treatment stategies with gene therapy to achieve enhanced curative effect. Herein, this study proposes design of a multifunctional nanoplatform for gene delivery and photothermal therapy enhanced by magnetic targeting using functionalized magnetic Prussian blue nanoparticles. It is demonstrated that surface modification of magnetic Prussian blue nanoparticles with chitosan and pDNA provides excellent colloidal stability and capacity for magnetic targeting of Hela cells. These nanocomposites exhibit superparamagnetism, which is a remarkable potentiality to improve their therapeutic effect under localized magnetic field. The obtained nanoagent is able to generate significant photothermal effect due to strong optical absorbance in the near infrared region. Furthermore, superior gene transfection efficiency is achieved under magnetic guidance. In vitro experiments also reveal that this nanoagent has excellent biocompatibility for safe medical applications. This study can provide critical experimental evidence and encourage further investigation of combining photothermal therapy with gene therapy for treatment of various medical conditions.

Composite iron oxide–Prussian blue nanoparticles for magnetically guided T₁-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and photothermal therapy of tumors

“…[23][24][25] This synthesis relies on the attachment of Fe(CN 6 ) 4-onto the surface of iron oxide nanoparticles at an acidic pH (refer "Materials and methods" section for details), and the subsequent growth of a GdPB shell by the reaction of Fe(CN 6 ) 4-, Fe 3+ , and Gd 3+ on the surface of the iron oxide nanoparticles. To determine the properties of the Fe 3 O 4 @GdPB nanoparticles synthesized using the presented two-step scheme ( Figure 1A), we first measured the size distributions and charges of the nanoparticles using dynamic light scattering.…”

“…[23][24][25] Briefly, coprecipitation was used to synthesize Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles where a 1:2 molar ratio of Fe 2+ :Fe 3+ was added dropwise into a stirred solution of 1 M NaOH. 31 The resultant black precipitate containing Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles was thoroughly rinsed and dispersed in ultrapure water by centrifugation (at least three times at 22,000× g for 10 minutes) and resuspension (using sonication to disperse the pellet, as needed).…”

“…21,22 Earlier reports have described the synthesis of magnetic Prussian blue nanoparticles (without gadolinium) for T2W imaging combined with photothermal therapy (PTT) of tumors and gene transfection or chemotherapy combined with PTT of tumors. [23][24][25] Building on these earlier findings, we utilize our Fe 3 O 4 @ GdPB nanoparticles for magnetically guided, T 1 -weighted (T1W) imaging and PTT of tumors. Compared with T2W images, T1W images offer several advantages including enhanced visualization of vascular structures, key for the entry of Dx and Rx agents into tumors, and are less prone to artifacts such as those present in fluid-filled structures in particular.…”

Hydrogel‐Based Multifunctional Dressing Combining Magnetothermally Responsive Drug Delivery and Stem Cell Therapy for Enhanced Wound Healing

“…[ 24‐26 ] Compared with hydrogels stimulated by pH, light or electrical fields, hydrogels stimulated by magnetic fields (MF) have unique features. [ 27,28 ] Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) incorporated within hydrogels can rapidly respond to external MF and produce a magnetothermal heating (MTH) effect. [ 29‐32 ] Furthermore, MNPs can achieve “on‐off” switches, so as to control the release of drugs for biomedical applications.…”

A novel Prussian blue‐magnetite composite synthesized by self‐template method and its application in reduction of hydrogen peroxide

“…Inspired by these unique properties, PB and Fe 3 O 4 composites have been prepared by methods previously studied, such as hydrothermal synthesis and layer‐by‐layer processes . But, these processes were always complicated.…”