Magnetic nanoparticles for selective heating of magnetically labelled cells in culture:: preliminary investigation

The minimally invasive elimination of tumours using heating as a therapeutic agent is an emerging technology in medical applications. Particularly, the intratumoural application of magnetic nanoparticles as potential heating sources when exposed to an alternating magnetic field has been demonstrated. The present work deals with the estimation of the basic relationships when the magnetic material has access and binds to structures on cell membranes of target cells at the tumour region, particularly as a consequence of administration through tumour supplying vessels. Therefore, using mouse endothelial cells in culture, the binding of dextran coated magnetic nanoparticles (mean hydrodynamic particle diameter 65 nm) was modelled using the periodate method. The efficacy of cell labelling was demonstrated by magnetorelaxometry (MRX)-a selective method for the detection of only those magnetic nanoparticles that were immobilized-as well as by electron microscopy and iron staining. The amount of iron immobilized on cells was found to be 153 +/- 56 mug Fe per 1 x 10(7) cells as determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. Moreover, after exposure of those 1 x 10(7) labelled cells to an alternating magnetic field (frequency 410 kHz, amplitude 11 kA m(-1)) for 5 min, temperature increases of 2 degreesC were achieved. The consequences of particle immobilization are reflected by the results of the measurements related to the specific heating power (SHP) of the magnetic material. Basically, the heating potential is explained by the superposition of Brown and Neel relaxation while for immobilized nanoparticles the Brown contribution is absent. In the long term the data could open the door to targeted magnetic heating after further optimization of the heating potential of magnetic material as well as after functionalization with biomolecules which recognize specific structures on the surface of cells at the target region.