Targeting Therapy Of Magnetic Chitosan Nanoparticles In Mice Bearing Liver Cancer

The present study investigated the magnetic chitosan nanoparticles designed to act as doxorubicin (DOX) carrier, which could be effectively delivered to solid tumors via portal vein administration. Magnetic chitosan nanoparticles (MCNP) was prepared by the reverse-phase polymerization in suspension. We studied the response of MCNP to the magnetite both out of and within the body and investigated the biological distribution of the MCNP in the mice bearing liver cancer. The therapeutic effect of MCNP to the mice bearing liver cancer was also intensively studied. The results showed that: (1) The size of each particle of MCNP was about 100nm and the adsorption rate of DOX was about 41%. (2) It was concluded that the treatment by injecting DOX-MCNP through portal vein under the guidance of an external magnetic field is significantly effective to the liver cancer model in mice. It showed that the mean survival period of DOX-MCNP group (43.1 days) was prolonged significantly (p<0.05), compared to DOX group (27.3 days). (3) MCNP had a good response to the magnetite both out of and within the body. Administration of DOX-MCNP under magnetic field could be used to deliver DOX effectively to the targeted site, increasing DOX concentration in the tumor and decreasing DOX concentration in theheart and the kidney.