Investigation through the anticancer properties of green synthesized spinel ferrite nanoparticles in present and absent of laser photothermal effect

Elevated rates of reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been detected in almost all cancers, where they promote many aspects of tumour development and progression. However, tumour cells also express increased levels of antioxidant proteins to detoxify from ROS, suggesting that a delicate balance of intracellular ROS levels is required for cancer cell function. Further, the radical generated, the location of its generation, as well as the local concentration is important for the cellular functions of ROS in cancer. A challenge for novel therapeutic strategies will be the fine tuning of intracellular ROS signalling to effectively deprive cells from ROS-induced tumour promoting events, towards tipping the balance to ROS-induced apoptotic signalling. Alternatively, therapeutic antioxidants may prevent early events in tumour development, where ROS are important. However, to effectively target cancer cells specific ROS-sensing signalling pathways that mediate the diverse stress-regulated cellular functions need to be identified. This review discusses the generation of ROS within tumour cells, their detoxification, their cellular effects, as well as the major signalling cascades they utilize, but also provides an outlook on their modulation in therapeutics.

The rapidly emerging field of nanotechnology has offered innovative discoveries in the medical, industrial, and consumer sectors. The unique physicochemical and electrical properties of engineered nanoparticles (NP) make them highly desirable in a variety of applications. However, these novel properties of NP are fraught with concerns for environmental and occupational exposure. Changes in structural and physicochemical properties of NP can lead to changes in biological activities including ROS generation, one of the most frequently reported NP-associated toxicities. Oxidative stress induced by engineered NP is due to acellular factors such as particle surface, size, composition, and presence of metals, while cellular responses such as mitochondrial respiration, NP-cell interaction, and immune cell activation are responsible for ROS-mediated damage. NP-induced oxidative stress responses are torch bearers for further pathophysiological effects including genotoxicity, inflammation, and fibrosis as demonstrated by activation of associated cell signaling pathways. Since oxidative stress is a key determinant of NP-induced injury, it is necessary to characterize the ROS response resulting from NP. Through physicochemical characterization and understanding of the multiple signaling cascades activated by NP-induced ROS, a systemic toxicity screen with oxidative stress as a predictive model for NP-induced injury can be developed.

Due to their unique magnetic properties, excellent biocompatibility as well as multi-purpose biomedical potential (e.g., applications in cancer therapy and general drug delivery), superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) are attracting increasing attention in both pharmaceutical and industrial communities. The precise control of the physiochemical properties of these magnetic systems is crucial for hyperthermia applications, as the induced heat is highly dependent on these properties. In this review, the limitations and recent advances in the development of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for hyperthermia are presented. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.