Enhancing cancer therapeutics using size-optimized magnetic fluid hyperthermia

Magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH) employs heat dissipation from magnetic nanoparticles to elicit a therapeutic outcome in tumor sites, which results in either cell death (>42 °C) or damage (<42 °C) depending on the localized rise in temperature. We investigated the therapeutic effect of MFH in immortalized T lymphocyte (Jurkat) cells using monodisperse magnetite (Fe(3)O(4)) nanoparticles (MNPs) synthesized in organic solvents and subsequently transferred to aqueous phase using a biocompatible amphiphilic polymer. Monodisperse MNPs, ∼16 nm diameter, show maximum heating efficiency, or specific loss power (watts/g Fe(3)O(4)) in a 373 kHz alternating magnetic field. Our in vitro results, for 15 min of heating, show that only 40% of cells survive for a relatively low dose (490 μg Fe/ml) of these size-optimized MNPs, compared to 80% and 90% survival fraction for 12 and 13 nm MNPs at 600 μg Fe/ml. The significant decrease in cell viability due to MNP-induced hyperthermia from only size-optimized nanoparticles demonstrates the central idea of tailoring size for a specific frequency in order to intrinsically improve the therapeutic potency of MFH by optimizing both dose and time of application.