Treatment of tumour tissue with radiofrequency hyperthermia (using antibody-carrying nanoparticles)

Abstract

This study aims to design and produce intelligent inorganic nanoparticles to be used in imaging and annihilating tumour cells by radiofrequency (RF) hyperthermia. Nanoparticles synthesised to provide RF hyperthermia must have magnetite properties. For this purpose, magnetite nanoparticles were first synthesised by the co-precipitation method (10–15 nm). These superparamagnetic nanoparticles were then covered with gold ions without losing their magnetic properties. In this step, gold ions are reduced around the magnetite nanoparticles. The surface modification of the gold-coated magnetic nanoparticles was performed in the next step. A self-assembled monolayer was created using the cysteamine (2-aminoethanethiol) molecules, which have two different end groups (SH and NH2). These molecules react with the gold surface by SH groups and the NH2 groups give a positive charge to the nanoparticles. After that, a monoclonal antibody (MONOCLONAL ANTI-N CAM Clone NCAM-OB11) was immobilised by the EDC/NHS method. Then, the antenna RF system (144.00015 MHz) was contrived for RF hyperthermia. Antibody–nanoparticle binding rate and cytotoxicity tests were followed by in vitro and in vivo experiments. As the main result, the antibody-bound gold-coated magnetic nanoparticles were successfully connected to tumour cells and after RF hyperthermia, tumour size decreased due to apoptosis and necrosis of tumour cells.