Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Magnetoliposomes containing calcium ferrite (CaFe2O4) nanoparticles were developed
and characterized for the first time. CaFe2O4 nanoparticles were covered by a lipid bilayer or
entrapped in liposomes forming, respectively, solid or aqueous magnetoliposomes as nanocarriers
for new antitumor drugs. The magnetic nanoparticles were characterized by UV/Visible absorption,
XRD, HR-TEM, and SQUID, exhibiting sizes of 5.2 +/- 1.2 nm (from TEM) and a superparamagnetic
behavior. The magnetoliposomes were characterized by DLS and TEM. The incorporation of two new
potential antitumor drugs (thienopyridine derivatives) specifically active against breast cancer in these
nanosystems was investigated by fluorescence emission and anisotropy. Aqueous magnetoliposomes,
with hydrodynamic diameters around 130 nm, and solid magnetoliposomes with sizes of ca. 170 nm,
interact with biomembranes by fusion and are able to transport the antitumor drugs with generally
high encapsulation effciencies (>=70%). These fully biocompatible drug-loaded magnetoliposomes
can be promising as therapeutic agents in future applications of combined breast cancer therapy.
Description
Keywords
Breast cancer therapy Calcium ferrite nanoparticles Magnetoliposomes New antitumor drugs Thienopyridine derivatives
Pedagogical Context
Citation
Pereira, Daniela S.M.; Cardoso, Beatriz D.; Rodrigues, Ana Rita O.; Amorim, Carlos O.; Amaral, Vítor S.; Almeida, Bernardo G.; Queiroz, Maria João R.P.; Martinho, Olga; Baltazar, Fátima; Calhelha, Ricardo C.; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.; Coutinho, Paulo J.G.; Castanheira, Elisabete M.S. (2019). Magnetoliposomes containing calcium ferrite nanoparticles for applications in breast cancer therapy. Pharmaceutics. ISSN 1999-4923. 11, p. 1-1-21