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Updated: Mar 15, 2026
Biofunctionalization of Magnetic Nanomaterials
Published on: July 16, 2020
Targeting Negative Surface Charges of Cancer Cells by Multifunctional Nanoprobes
Bingdi Chen1, Wenjun Le1, Yilong Wang1
1The Institute for Translational Nanomedicine, Shanghai East Hospital, The Institute for Biomedical Engineering & Nano Science, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China;
Abstract:
A set of electrostatically charged, fluorescent, and superparamagnetic nanoprobes was developed for targeting cancer cells without using any molecular biomarkers. The surface electrostatic properties of the established cancer cell lines and primary normal cells were characterized by using these nanoprobes with various electrostatic signs and amplitudes. All twenty two randomly selected cancer cell lines of different organs, but not normal control cells, bound specifically to the positively charged nanoprobes. The relative surface charges of cancer cells could be quantified by the percentage of cells captured magnetically. The activities of glucose metabolism had a profound impact on the surface charge level of cancer cells. The data indicate that an elevated glycolysis in the cancer cells led to a higher level secretion of lactate. The secreted lactate anions are known to remove the positive ions, leaving behind the negative changes on the cell surfaces. This unique metabolic behavior is responsible for generating negative cancer surface charges in a perpetuating fashion. The metabolically active cancer cells are shown to a unique surface electrostatic pattern that can be used for recovering cancer cells from the circulating blood and other solutions.
Insights
New nanoprobes specifically target cancer cells by detecting their unique negative surface charge, which is linked to high glucose metabolism. This discovery offers a novel, biomarker-free method for cancer cell detection and isolation.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Nanomedicine
- Oncology
Background:
- Cancer cells exhibit distinct surface properties compared to normal cells.
- Targeting cancer cells often relies on specific molecular biomarkers.
- Developing biomarker-free cancer detection methods is a significant challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and characterize novel nanoprobes for biomarker-free cancer cell targeting.
- To investigate the surface electrostatic properties of various cancer cell lines.
- To explore the relationship between cancer cell metabolism and surface charge.
Main Methods:
- Development of electrostatically charged, fluorescent, and superparamagnetic nanoprobes.
- Characterization of surface electrostatic properties using nanoprobes with varying charges.
- Quantification of cancer cell surface charge via magnetic cell capture percentages.
- Analysis of glucose metabolism and lactate secretion in cancer cells.
Main Results:
- Twenty-two cancer cell lines specifically bound to positively charged nanoprobes, unlike normal cells.
- Cancer cell surface charge is quantifiable and influenced by glucose metabolism.
- Elevated glycolysis leads to lactate secretion, generating a negative surface charge on cancer cells.
- A unique surface electrostatic pattern was identified in metabolically active cancer cells.
Conclusions:
- Positively charged nanoprobes can specifically target cancer cells without biomarkers.
- Cancer cell surface charge is a metabolic byproduct, offering a novel detection strategy.
- These findings enable the recovery of cancer cells from blood and other solutions based on their unique electrostatic signature.
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