In Vitro Targeting and Selective Killing of T47D Breast Cancer Cells by Purpurin and 5-Fluorouracil Anchored to Magnetic CNTs: Nitrene-Based Functionalization versus Uptake, Cytotoxicity, and Intracellular Fate

Sławomir Boncel; Artur P Herman; Sebastian Budniok; Rafał G Jędrysiak; Agata Jakóbik-Kolon; Jeremy N Skepper; Karin H Müller

doi:10.1021/acsbiomaterials.6b00197

In Vitro Targeting and Selective Killing of T47D Breast Cancer Cells by Purpurin and 5-Fluorouracil Anchored to Magnetic CNTs: Nitrene-Based Functionalization versus Uptake, Cytotoxicity, and Intracellular Fate

ACS Biomater Sci Eng. 2016 Aug 8;2(8):1273-1285. doi: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.6b00197. Epub 2016 Jul 19.

Authors

Sławomir Boncel¹, Artur P Herman¹, Sebastian Budniok¹, Rafał G Jędrysiak¹, Agata Jakóbik-Kolon², Jeremy N Skepper³, Karin H Müller³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, Silesian University of Technology, Krzywoustego 4, Gliwice 44-100, Poland.
² Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry and Electrochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Silesian University of Technology, Krzywoustego 6, Gliwice 44-100, Poland.
³ Cambridge Advanced Imaging Centre, Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, Anatomy Building, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3DY, United Kingdom.

PMID: 33434981
DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.6b00197

Abstract

Fe-encapsulated multiwall carbon nanotubes (Fe@MWCNTs) are candidates for magnetically targeted Drug Delivery Systems (mt-DDSs) against breast cancer. However, their full potential as versatile and biosafe vectors has yet to be developed. Key challenges that remain are relating surface functionalization to cytotoxicity and inducing selective cytotoxicity to cancer cells. We have studied quantitative uptake of pristine and functionalized Fe@MWCNTs (f-Fe@MWCNTs) in correlation to their in vitro cytotoxicity. Human monocyte macrophages (HMMs) and T47D breast cancer cells were selected as models to test selective cytotoxicity. [2+1]-Cycloaddition of nitrenes to Fe@MWCNTs yielded both effective functionalization and drug "tethering". Hydrophilization of Fe@MWCNTs was critical for efficient active cell uptake. f-Fe@MWCNTs were considerably more toxic to T47D cells than HMMs, in spite of longer exposure times of the latter. Eventually, Fe@MWCNTs loaded with 5-fluorouracil in a β-cyclodextrin cage or with covalently linked purpurin emerged as the most cytotoxic and steerable in a magnetic field toward promising mt-DDSs.

Keywords: 5-fluorouracil; breast cancer cells; cytotoxicity; functionalized carbon nanotubes; magnetic drug delivery; purpurin.