title: Theranostics for hepatocellular carcinoma with Fe3O4@ZnO nanocomposites.
abstract: The purpose of the current study is to investigate Fe3O4@ZnO nanocomposites as theranostic agents for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Initially, the transferrin receptor antibody (TfR Ab) functionalized Fe3O4@ZnO nanocomposites, followed by loading with doxorubicin (Dox) and denoted as Fe3O4@ZnO/Dox/TfR Ab, were prepared as an all-in-one system allowing for a targeted drug delivery with simultaneous concurrent chemoradiotherapy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) monitoring. The diagnostic and therapeutic functionalities for HCC were evaluated in vitro and in a murine orthotopic models using cell viability assays, cell cycle tests, histopathological examinations, and serum biochemistry tests. The results demonstrated that Fe3O4@ZnO/Dox/TfR Ab could deliver Dox into the targeted HCC SMMC-7721 cells to enhance its chemotherapeutic efficiency. Besides, with the addition of short term and low dose X-ray illumination, the Fe3O4@ZnO nanocomposites showed excellent radiosensitizer properties, further attacking the cancer cells. Tumor cells were also mostly arrested at G2/M, resulting in a distinct inhibition of cell proliferation. In vivo, after the treatment, a noninvasive visualization monitoring through MRI showed that tumor growth was significantly suppressed by the targeted chemoradiotherapy mediated by Fe3O4@ZnO/Dox/TfR Ab. Therefore, Fe3O4@ZnO nanocomposites could mediate the theranostic strategy for hepatocellular carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Zhongda Hospital, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China. zhanghaijunseu@163.com.
authors.forename: Haijun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Zhongda Hospital, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China. zhanghaijunseu@163.com.
authors.forename: Nishant
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Zhongda Hospital, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China. zhanghaijunseu@163.com.
authors.forename: Shuang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Zhongda Hospital, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China. zhanghaijunseu@163.com.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Cancer Hospital, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Pingping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects*; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004337:Drug Carriers; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D005026:Ethylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000188:drug therapy*; D051379:Mice; D053761:Nanocomposites / Q000737:chemistry*; D000068936:Theranostic Nanomedicine; D014168:Transferrin / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004337:Drug Carriers; D005026:Ethylene Glycols; D014168:Transferrin; D004317:Doxorubicin