Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 4, 2025
09:54
Synthesis, Characterization, and Application of Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoprobes for Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis Detection
Published on: February 16, 2020
5.8K
Ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for enhanced tumor penetration
Xue Feng1, Yuxiang Xue1, Sevil Gonca1
1School of Engineering, Institute for Bioengineering, University of Edinburgh, The King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JL, UK. Michael.Chen@ed.ac.uk.
Journal of Materials Chemistry. B
|March 31, 2023
Summary
Magnetophoresis enhances ultrasmall iron oxide nanoparticle penetration into tumors. Larger, spherical, positively charged nanoparticles showed the best tumor penetration, highlighting the need to optimize both cellular uptake and magnetization for effective nanomedicine delivery.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Tumor microenvironments impede nanomedicine penetration via passive diffusion.
- Magnetophoresis offers a promising strategy to enhance nanomedicine tumor penetration using magnetic forces.
- Ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (<~20 nm) show potential for cancer diagnosis and treatment but their tumor penetration is less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the penetration of ultrasmall iron oxide nanoparticles in a 3D tumor spheroid model.
- To understand how size, shape, surface charge, and magnetization affect penetration.
- To determine optimal characteristics for enhanced magnetophoretic tumor penetration.
Main Methods:
- Investigated ultrasmall iron oxide nanoparticles of varying sizes (10, 15, 21 nm), shapes (spherical, octahedral), and surface charges (negative, positive).
- Evaluated nanoparticle behavior in a 3D tumor spheroid model.
- Assessed penetration with and without an external magnetic field.
Main Results:
- Magnetically directed penetration is effective for ultrasmall iron oxide nanoparticles.
- Without a magnetic field, shape and surface charge significantly influenced penetration more than size.
- With a magnetic field, larger nanoparticles (21 nm) exhibited superior penetration due to higher magnetic moments.
- Relatively large (21 nm), spherical, positively charged nanoparticles demonstrated greatest tumor penetration under magnetic field.
Conclusions:
- Ultrasmall iron oxide nanoparticle penetration in tumors can be significantly enhanced by magnetophoresis.
- Nanoparticle size, shape, and surface charge critically influence penetration, with larger, spherical, positively charged particles being most effective under magnetic guidance.
- Optimizing both cellular internalization and magnetic properties is crucial for maximizing nanomedicine penetration in tumors via magnetophoresis.
