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Unlocking the Potential of Magnetotactic Bacteria as Magnetic Hyperthermia Agents
Author(s) -
Gandia David,
Gandarias Lucía,
Rodrigo Irati,
RoblesGarcía Joshua,
Das Raja,
Garaio Eneko,
García José Ángel,
Phan ManhHuong,
Srikanth Hariharan,
Orue Iñaki,
Alonso Javier,
Muela Alicia,
FdezGubieda M. Luisa
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.201902626
Subject(s) - magnetotactic bacteria , magnetosome , magnetic hyperthermia , hyperthermia , bacteria , biophysics , magnetic nanoparticles , materials science , nanotechnology , nanoparticle , chemistry , biology , paleontology , genetics
Abstract Magnetotactic bacteria are aquatic microorganisms that internally biomineralize chains of magnetic nanoparticles (called magnetosomes) and use them as a compass. Here it is shown that magnetotactic bacteria of the strain Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense present high potential as magnetic hyperthermia agents for cancer treatment. Their heating efficiency or specific absorption rate is determined using both calorimetric and AC magnetometry methods at different magnetic field amplitudes and frequencies. In addition, the effect of the alignment of the bacteria in the direction of the field during the hyperthermia experiments is also investigated. The experimental results demonstrate that the biological structure of the magnetosome chain of magnetotactic bacteria is perfect to enhance the hyperthermia efficiency. Furthermore, fluorescence and electron microscopy images show that these bacteria can be internalized by human lung carcinoma cells A549, and cytotoxicity studies reveal that they do not affect the viability or growth of the cancer cells. A preliminary in vitro hyperthermia study, working on clinical conditions, reveals that cancer cell proliferation is strongly affected by the hyperthermia treatment, making these bacteria promising candidates for biomedical applications.