From Dipolar Interactions to Tissue Heating: A Multiscale Model for Magnetic Hyperthermia

Magnetic hyperthermia is a promising therapeutic technique in which magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) generate heat when exposed to a high-frequency alternating magnetic field. The magnetic dipolar interactions between magnetic nanoparticles play an important role in the relaxation dynamics and overall magnetic heating efficiency. In this work, the thermal response of a tumoral tissue was studied considering the dipole-dipole interactions in chain-like nanoparticle assemblies. A 3D space-time model implemented in COMSOL Multiphysics 6.2 is used to investigate the temperature field and thermal damage in tumoral tissue considering magnetic relaxation mechanisms for both (i) parallel and (ii) perpendicular anisotropy configurations with respect to the applied magnetic field. Dipole-dipole interactions significantly modify the effective energy barriers involved in magnetic relaxation mechanisms, when nanoparticles are closely spaced. Interparticle spacing and MNP size are two very important parameters that influence the effective anisotropy barrier and, implicitly, the heating efficiency of magnetic nanoparticles. Moderate dipolar interactions lead to optimal SAR values, while strong interactions reduce heating efficiency due to magnetic locking. This study provides guidelines for the design of magnetic nanoparticles for hyperthermia applications.