title: Epirubicin-loaded superparamagnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles for transdermal delivery: cancer therapy by circumventing the skin barrier.
abstract: The transdermal administration of chemotherapeutic agents is a persistent challenge for tumor treatments. A model anticancer agent, epirubicin (EPI), is attached to functionalized superparamagnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles (SPION). The covalent modification of the SPION results in EPI-SPION, a potential drug delivery vector that uses magnetism for the targeted transdermal chemotherapy of skin tumors. The spherical EPI-SPION composite exhibits excellent magnetic responsiveness with a saturation magnetization intensity of 77.8 emu g(-1) . They feature specific pH-sensitive drug release, targeting the acidic microenvironment typical in common tumor tissues or endosomes/lysosomes. Cellular uptake studies using human keratinocyte HaCaT cells and melanoma WM266 cells demonstrate that SPION have good biocompatibility. After conjugation with EPI, the nanoparticles can inhibit WM266 cell proliferation; its inhibitory effect on tumor proliferation is determined to be dose-dependent. In vitro transdermal studies demonstrate that the EPI-SPION composites can penetrate deep inside the skin driven by an external magnetic field. The magnetic-field-assisted SPION transdermal vector can circumvent the stratum corneum via follicular pathways. The study indicates the potential of a SPION-based vector for feasible transdermal therapy of skin cancer.
authors.affiliation: The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310003, China; Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
authors.forename: Yue-feng
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Xing-guang
authors.initials: XG
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Yong-zhuo
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Miao
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lou
authors.forename: Xing-guo
authors.initials: XG
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Rui-kang
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Zhong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Xiao-yang
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D015251:Epirubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005290:Ferric Compounds / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism*; D059016:Tumor Microenvironment
chemical_list: D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D005290:Ferric Compounds; C000499:ferric oxide; D015251:Epirubicin
keywords: biomedical applications; cancer; drug delivery; epirubicin; iron oxide; nanoparticles; superparamagnetic materials