Superparamagnetic bifunctional bisphosphonates nanoparticles: a potential MRI contrast agent for osteoporosis therapy and diagnostic.

A bone targeting nanosystem is reported here which combined magnetic contrast agent for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and a therapeutic agent (bisphosphonates) into one drug delivery system. This new targeting nanoplatform consists of superparamagnetic γFe(2)O(3) nanoparticles conjugated to 1,5-dihydroxy-1,5,5-tris-phosphono-pentyl-phosphonic acid (di-HMBPs) molecules with a bisphosphonate function at the outer of the nanoparticle surface for bone targeting. The as-synthesized nanoparticles were evaluated as a specific MRI contrast agent by adsorption study onto hydroxyapatite and MRI measurment. The strong adsorption of the bisphosphonates nanoparticles to hydroxyapatite and their use as MRI T2(∗) contrast agent were demonstrated. Cellular tests performed on human osteosarcoma cells (MG63) show that γFe(2)O(3)@di-HMBP hybrid nanomaterial has no citoxity effect in cell viability and may act as a diagnostic and therapeutic system.

Growth inhibition of MCF-7 tumor cell line by phenylacetate linked to functionalized dextran.

We investigated the antiproliferative effect of phenylacetate covalently linked to dextran derivatives (DMCBPA conjugates) on human breast cancer MCF-7 cells. We show that free sodium phenylacetate (NaPA) inhibits the cell growth (IC50 = 14 mM), while an important inhibitory effect is observed for DMCBPA conjugates. The IC50 dose of these conjugates is as low as 1.0 mg/ml, corresponding to 1.3 mM of phenylacetate. The precursors, dextran substituted with methylcarboxylate and benzylamide groups, did not affect the growth of MCF-7 tumor cells. We have observed that MCF-7 cell growth inhibition depends on amount of phenylacetate linked to the conjugate. The data indicated that an optimum antiproliferative effect is more significant when the amount of phenylacetate groups present on the dextran backbone is high. Analysis of doubling time by growth kinetics study shows that conjugates have more time-sustained effect than free NaPA. It is noteworthy that the inhibitory effect is observed at non-toxic concentration. Theses conjugates could be considered as acceptable derivatives to prevent tumor progression.

Sodium phenylacetate modulates the synthesis of autocrine and paracrine growth factors secreted by breast cancer cell lines.

Sodium Phenylacetate (NaPq) has been shown to suppress tumor growth and promote differentiation in experimental models. Thus, we have previously shown an inhibition of MCF-7ras cell proliferation by NaPa both in vitro and in vivo on xenographed tumors. In order to study the action of NaPa on the synthesis of paracrine or autocrine growth factors, conditioned media were prepared from breast pretumoral HBL100 cells, tumoral MCF-7 and MCF-7ras cells in the presence of NaPa. Growth factor activities of these media were tested on Balb c/3T3 fibroblasts and on the above breast tumor cells. Conditioned media from the 3 cell types contained different mitogenic activities when tested on the same cell lines. NaPa treatment for 24 hours inhibited differentially and dose-dependently the mitogenic activity of conditioned media. Inhibitions of HBL100 and MCF-7 cell proliferation by MCF-7ras medium conditioned with 20 mM NaPa reached 75% and 48% respectively. In contrast, NaPa treated MCF-7 conditioned medium decreased HBL100 and MCF-7ras proliferation by 49% and 72%, respectively, at the same NaPa concentration. The efficiency of NaPa inhibition reached an optimum as soon as one day after treatment. Among growth factors secreted by MCF-7 and MCF-7ras, TGF beta synthesis is inhibited and stimulated in MCF-7 and MCF-7ras cells respectively after NaPa treatment. We showed that NaPa modifies the synthesis of growth factors secreted by MCF-7 and MCF-7ras tumor cells leading to cell proliferation inhibitions. The synthesis of these previously identified factors was more involved in MCF-7 cells than fibroblast cell proliferation. In vitro and in vivo NaPa inhibition of MCF-7ras cells which secreted higher levels of these growth factors could be explained by this mechanism of action.