Magnetic tri-bead microrobot assisted near-infrared triggered combined photothermal and chemotherapy of cancer cells

Sci Rep. 2021 Apr 12;11(1):7907. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-87010-7.

Abstract

Magnetic micro/nanorobots attracted much attention in biomedical fields because of their precise movement, manipulation, and targeting abilities. However, there is a lack of research on intelligent micro/nanorobots with stimuli-responsive drug delivery mechanisms for cancer therapy. To address this issue, we developed a type of strong covalently bound tri-bead drug delivery microrobots with NIR photothermal response azobenzene molecules attached to their carboxylic surface groups. The tri-bead microrobots are magnetic and showed good cytocompatibility even when their concentration is up to 200 µg/mL. In vitro photothermal experiments demonstrated fast NIR-responsive photothermal property; the microrobots were heated to 50 °C in 4 min, which triggered a significant increase in drug release. Motion control of the microrobots inside a microchannel demonstrated the feasibility of targeted therapy on tumor cells. Finally, experiments with lung cancer cells demonstrated the effectiveness of targeted chemo-photothermal therapy and were validated by cell viability assays. These results indicated that tri-bead microrobots have excellent potential for targeted chemo-photothermal therapy for lung cancer cell treatment.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Doxorubicin / pharmacology
  • Drug Liberation
  • Humans
  • Hyperthermia, Induced*
  • Infrared Rays*
  • Magnetics*
  • Phototherapy*
  • Robotics*

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Doxorubicin