Exploring cellular uptake of iron oxide nanoparticles associated with rhodium citrate in breast cancer cells

Abstract

Natalia L Chaves,1 Irina Estrela-Lopis,2 Julia Böttner,2 Cláudio AP Lopes,1 Bruna C Guido,1 Aparecido R de Sousa,3 Sônia N Báo1 1Institute of Biological Sciences, Department of Cell Biology, University of Brasília (UnB), Brasília, Brazil; 2Institute of Biophysics and Medical Physics, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany; 3Institute of Chemistry, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil Abstract: Nanocarriers have the potential to improve the therapeutic index of currently available drugs by improving their efficacy and achieving therapeutic steady-state levels over an extended period. The association of maghemite–rhodium citrate (MRC) nanoparticles (NPs) has the potential to increase specificity of the cytotoxic action. However, the interaction of these NPs with cells, their uptake mechanism, and subcellular localization need to be elucidated. This work evaluates the uptake mechanism of MRC NPs in metastatic and nonmetastatic breast cancer-cell models, comparing them to a nontumor cell line. MRC NPs uptake in breast cancer cells was more effective than in normal cells, with regard to both the amount of internalized material and the achievement of more strategic intracellular distribution. Moreover, this process occurred through a clathrin-dependent endocytosis pathway with different basal expression levels of this protein in the cell lines tested. Keywords: maghemite, nanomaterials, cells uptake, endocytosis

Keywords

• Maghemite
• nanomaterials
• cells uptake
• endocytosis.