Application of Albumin-embedded Magnetic Nanoheaters for Release of Etoposide in Integrated Chemotherapy and Hyperthermia of U87-MG Glioma Cells

BACKGROUND/AIM: Malignant gliomas remain refractory to several therapeutic approaches and the requirement for novel treatment modalities is critical to combat this disease. Etoposide is a topoisomerase-II inhibitor, which promotes DNA damage and apoptosis of cancer cells. In this study, we prepared albumin with embedded magnetic nanoparticles and etoposide for in vitro evaluation of combined hyperthermia and chemotherapy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Magnetic nanoparticles were prepared by a modified co-precipitation method in the presence of human serum albumin and etoposide. A cellular proliferation assay was used to determine the effects of these nanostructures on the viability of U87 glioma cells in an alternating magnetic field. RESULTS: The in vitro experiments showed that cell viability decreased to 59.4% after heat treatment alone and to 53.8% on that with free etoposide, while combined treatment resulted in 7.8% cell viability. CONCLUSION: Integrating hyperthermia and chemotherapy using albumin co-embedded magnetic nanoheaters and etoposide may represent a promising therapeutic option for glioblastoma.