Biodistribution of antibody-targeted and non-targeted iron oxide nanoparticles in a breast cancer mouse model

Iron oxide nanoparticle (IONP) hyperthermia is a novel therapeutic strategy currently under consideration for the treatment of various cancer types. Systemic delivery of IONP followed by non-invasive activation via a local alternating magnetic field (AMF) results in site-specific energy deposition in the IONP-containing tumor. Targeting IONP to the tumor using an antibody or antibody fragment conjugated to the surface may enhance the intratumoral deposition of IONP and is currently being pursued by many nanoparticle researchers. This strategy, however, is subject to a variety of restrictions in the in vivo environment, where other aspects of IONP design will strongly influence the biodistribution. In these studies, various targeted IONP are compared to non-targeted controls. IONP were injected into BT-474 tumor-bearing NSG mice and tissues harvested 24hrs post-injection. Results indicate no significant difference between the various targeted IONP and the non-targeted controls, suggesting the IONP were prohibitively-sized to incur tumor penetration. Additional strategies are currently being pursued in conjuncture with targeted particles to increase the intratumoral deposition.