Bio‐Nano‐Magnetic Materials for Localized Mechanochemical Stimulation of Cell Growth and Death. Issue 27 (18th January 2016) - Kilinc, Devrim
Abstract : Magnetic nanoparticles are promising new tools for therapeutic applications, such as magnetic nanoparticle hyperthermia therapy and targeted drug delivery. Recent in vitro studies have demonstrated that a force application with magnetic tweezers can also affect cell fate, suggesting a therapeutic potential for magnetically modulated mechanical stimulation. The magnetic properties of nanoparticles that induce physical responses and the subtle responses that result from mechanically induced membrane damage and/or intracellular signaling are evaluated. Magnetic particles with various physical, geometric, and magnetic properties and specific functionalization can now be used to apply mechanical force to specific regions of cells, which permit the modulation of cellular behavior through the use of spatially and time controlled magnetic fields. On one hand, mechanochemical stimulation has been used to direct the outgrowth on neuronal growth cones, indicating a therapeutic potential for neural repair. On the other hand, it has been used to kill cancer cells that preferentially express specific receptors. Advances made in the synthesis and characterization of magnetic nanomaterials and a better understanding of cellular mechanotransduction mechanisms may support the translation of mechanochemical stimulation into the clinic as an emerging therapeutic approach. Abstract : Mechanochemical stimulation of cultured cells with magnetic tweezers‐mediated piconewton forces can modulate cell behavior, from promoting neural growth to killing targeted cancer cells. Recent advances in the synthesis and characterization of magnetic nanoparticles now permit optimum magnetic nanoparticles to be developed for in vivo targeting and mechanical stimulation, potentially leading to novel therapeutic approaches.