Optimizing magnetic hyperthermia for melanoma

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) are widely used in magnetic hyperthermia, where their therapeutic efficacy depends on efficient heat generation. However, intracellular uptake of SPIONs has been shown to reduce their heat dissipation capacity, limiting hyperthermia performance. To address this challenge, we explored the use of small-molecule endocytosis inhibitors to block SPIONs’ uptake in vitro. SPIONs stabilized with 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTES) were evaluated in an advanced cutaneous melanoma cell line treated with a small library of endocytosis inhibitors. Among these, methyl-β-cyclodextrin significantly reduced SPIONs’ uptake compared to untreated cells. Importantly, uptake inhibition restored SPIONs’ heat dissipation capacity from specific absorption rates of 63 to 91 W g−1 and improved the temperature increase by 2.6 °C, under magnetic hyperthermia conditions. These findings demonstrate that targeting nanoparticle internalization with small-molecule inhibitors, particularly methyl-β-cyclodextrin, enhances the efficiency of magnetic hyperthermia in melanoma cells. This strategy offers a promising approach to optimize magnetic hyperthermia for melanoma treatment.

Descrição

Funding Information: This work was financed by FCT—Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, in the framework of the project PTDC/BTM-MAT/2472/2021 and projects LA/P/0037/2020, UIDP/50025/2020 and UIDB/50025/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute of Nanostructures, Nanomodelling and Nanofabrication-i3N. C.I.P.C. is supported by the grant SFRH/BD/148588/2019 from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). Publisher Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd.

Palavras-chave

Iron oxide nanoparticles Magnetic hyperthermia Melanoma cells small-molecule inhibitors Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials Biomaterials Materials Science (miscellaneous) Polymers and Plastics