Nanocarrier anticancer drug-conjugates cause higher cellular deformations: culpable for mischief

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Cancer Research

Background:

• Nanocarriers offer targeted drug delivery for cancer therapy.
• Understanding nanocarrier-induced cellular changes is crucial for clinical translation.
• Malignant cells exhibit altered morphology, making cellular deformation analysis relevant.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate cellular deformations caused by anticancer drug-conjugated nanocarriers.
• To evaluate the impact of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and Fe3O4 nanoparticles on cellular kinetics and morphology.
• To compare the effects of nanocarrier-drug conjugates with free drugs on cancer cells.

Main Methods:

• Utilized image-based analysis to measure karyoplasmic ratio (KR) and nuclear surface area (NSA) in HeLa cells.
• Conjugated Doxorubicin (Dox) to MWCNTs, with and without Fe3O4 nanoparticles.
• Assessed cellular entry, nuclear localization, and retention of nanocarrier-drug conjugates.

Main Results:

• Dox-bound nanocarriers demonstrated enhanced cytotoxicity compared to free Dox.
• Nanocarrier influx occurred within 4 hours, with maximum Dox retention by CNT-Dox at 24 hours.
• CNT-Dox induced cellular deformations (KR ~0.51 at 8h) comparable to free Dox (KR ~0.50 at 4h), with altered nuclear surface area observed at later time points for nanocarriers.

Conclusions:

• Nanocarrier-anticancer drug conjugates can induce significant cellular deformations.
• The study highlights the need to consider nanocarrier-mediated cellular alterations and potential adverse effects.
• Careful evaluation of nanocarrier systems is essential for safe and effective clinical and biomedical applications.