Release date: 2016-10-21
Scientists have unexpectedly discovered that nanoparticles can activate immune cells and kill tumors.
"We were surprised to find that nanoparticles activate macrophages, which begin to attack cancer cells in mice," said Heike Daldrup-Link, associate professor of radiology at Stanford University School of Medicine, in an interview.
This surprising phenomenon was discovered in mice experiments when researchers wanted to test whether a nanoparticle in an iron supplement could be used as a “Trojan horse†to sneak a drug for chemotherapy into a tumor in mice. in. They have unexpectedly discovered that nanoparticles in iron supplements can cause macrophages (TAM, tumor-associated) to kill tumor cells. The iron supplement, called ferumoxytol, has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is commercially available for use in the treatment of iron deficiency anemia. Excited, they quickly published the discovery in the world's top academic journal Nature Nanotechnology.
[Note] The mouse experiment found that ferumoxytol can promote immune cells called tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) to kill tumor cells. Cartography: Amy Thomas
Associate Professor HeikeDaldrup-Link said, "We believe that this method should be feasible in the human body." Perhaps, in the future, it will develop into an adjuvant therapy for cancer.
At the time, Associate Professor Daldrup-Link did an experiment with three groups of mice. In the experimental group, the nanoparticles were loaded with chemotherapeutic drugs; one of the control groups contained no chemotherapeutic drugs in the nanoparticles; the other control group did not use nanoparticles or chemotherapeutic drugs. The researchers observed that tumor growth was inhibited in the control group carrying the nanoparticles compared to the other control group.
In order to find out why this phenomenon occurs, the phenomenon researchers conducted a series of follow-up tests. They conducted in-depth research on cells in culture dishes and found that the anti-cancer activities of these nanoparticles require the participation of TAM. In cell cultures without TAM, iron nanoparticles do not work at all for cancer cells.
Prior to this study, it was known that in a healthy population, TAM was able to detect and phagocytose individual tumor cells. However, large tumors can hijack TAM, stop it from attacking cancer cells, and even secrete factors that promote cancer cell growth.
The study showed that iron nanoparticles can change the state in which macrophages are hijacked, and instead return to their original function and attack cancer cells. The study of metabolites of macrophages and the tracking of gene expression further demonstrate this.
In addition, in a standard breast cancer mouse model, the researchers found that drugs that were originally used to treat anemia also inhibited tumor growth after adjusting for body weight. Previous studies have found that such nanoparticles can be metabolized by the body within 6 weeks. The new study found that the anticancer effect of a single dose of nanoparticles would fade after about 3 weeks.
The researchers also tested whether nanoparticles can prevent the spread of cancer cells. In a mouse model of small cell lung cancer, nanoparticles reduce the formation of liver tumors. In humans and mice, the liver is the most common site of cancer metastasis. In a separate model of liver metastasis, pretreatment with nanoparticles followed by introduction of cancer cells can greatly reduce the volume of liver cancer cells.
Associate Professor Daldrup-Link said the study showed potential applications for nanoparticles in human trials. For example, after a surgeon removes a potential metastatic tumor, the patient usually needs chemotherapy, but they must undergo postoperative recovery to endure the serious side effects of traditional chemotherapy. Iron nanoparticles do not have the toxic side effects of chemotherapy and are better able to use this drug in patients during the post-operative rehabilitation phase.
Associate Professor Daldrup-Link also said, "We believe that this nanoparticle fills the gap during the patient's postoperative recovery, which can help patients inhibit the spread of cancer cells before receiving chemotherapy."
Perhaps this nanoparticle can also help the recovery of cancer patients who cannot completely remove tumors from the body. "We believe that if the surgery does not completely remove the tumor cells - cancer surgeons call it a positive margin, injection of iron nanoparticles may be useful. With their help, small tumor particles can be quickly cleared by the immune system, Associate Professor Daldrup-Link said. Moreover, such nanoparticles have been approved by the FDA, and progress in human clinical trials will be completed more quickly.
“In many studies, researchers have only considered using nanoparticles as drug carriers,†said Associate Professor Daldrup-Link. “But these nanoparticles have hidden intrinsic effects, and it’s really hard to find them without separate research. ."
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Source: Bio 360
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