• Targeted Anticancer Effects of Paclitaxel-Loaded Magnetite Nanoparticles on Breast Cancer Cell
  • Ala Deheshti,1,* Amaneh Javid,2 Saeed Rezaei-Zarchi,3
    1. Department of Biology, Faculty of Engineering and Science, Science and Arts University, Yazd, Iran
    2. Department of Biology, Faculty of Engineering and Science, Science and Arts University, Yazd, Iran
    3. Department of Biology, Payame Noor University, Yazd, Iran


  • Introduction: Breast cancer remains a serious global health challenge, with its complex pathogenesis and diverse clinical manifestations posing major obstacles to effective prevention and treatment. The prevalence of this disease is steadily increasing worldwide, and therefore, a full understanding of its multifaceted nature is essential for designing novel and effective treatment strategies.Common treatment methods include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and molecularly targeted therapies, but limitations such as drug resistance and side effects reduce the effectiveness of these methods. In this context, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have attracted the attention of many researchers as a unique class of nanomaterials, usually composed of elements such as iron, nickel, or cobalt. The magnetic properties and high surface-to-volume ratio of these nanoparticles make them an ideal candidate for delivering drugs and bioactive compounds to target cells. In particular, loading anticancer drugs such as paclitaxel onto these nanoparticles enhances their antiproliferative and cytotoxic capabilities and has great potential to improve treatment outcomes in breast cancer. A detailed study of the effects of these nanoparticles can help develop novel targeted drug delivery strategies and optimize cancer treatment methods. The aim of this study was to investigate the targeted Anticancer Effects of Paclitaxel-Loaded Magnetite Nanoparticles on Breast Cancer Cell.
  • Methods: In this study, magnetite-heparin nanoformulation was prepared using chemical precipitation method and litaxel drug was purified on this nanoformulation using oil-in-water emulsion technique. Drug loading was performed at two temperatures (37 and 42°C) and at two different pH (5.5 and 7.4).MCF-7 cell line, associated with breast cancer, was cultured in RPMI-1640 medium under standard conditions, in the presence and absence of paclitaxel-containing nanoformulation. The toxicity of nanoformulations on cancer cells was evaluated using the resazurin kit at 24, 48 and 72 hours. In this study, in order to achieve targeted therapy and reduce the toxicity of paclitaxel, the drug was loaded onto magnetite magnetic nanoparticles attached to heparin polymer. Also, the effect of different treatments including MNP, HP, HP-MNP, PTX and PTX-HP-MNP on the MCF-7 cell line was investigated.
  • Results: According to the results of FTIR spectroscopy and DLS analysis, MNP nanoparticles were spherical, dense and had dimensions of about 69 nm. After coating with heparin polymer, the particle density decreased, its spherical shape was maintained and the particle size increased to about 75 nm. By loading paclitaxel (PTX) on the nanoparticles, the density decreased further, the particle shape was still almost spherical and their dimensions reached about 95 nm. Drug release measurements and toxicity evaluation showed that the PTX-HP-MNP nanoformulation had a more successful therapeutic effect than free PTX. At 24, 48 and 72 hours, the percentage of cell survival in all treatments was significantly reduced compared to the control group. At 24 hours, the lowest percentage of cell survival was reported for the PTX-HP-MNP nanoparticles treatment with 100%, which was 48.5%. At 48 hours, this value reached 49% for the same treatment and at 72 hours it reached 45.25%.
  • Conclusion: Examination of cell survival and cytotoxicity showed that PTX-HP-MNP treatment with concentrations of 50% and 100% produced the highest antiproliferative effect in breast cancer cell lines and resulted in the lowest cell survival.
  • Keywords: Anticancer Effects, Breast cancer, Magnetite Nanoparticles, Paclitaxel.