S1-4 aptamer-mediated iron oxide nanoparticles for targeted magnetic hyperthermia in MCF-7 breast cancer cells.

Authors

Enyuan Chen, Yu Yin, Xiaoyun Miao, Bin Yu, Jun Yang, Mingming Li, Xiaoyun Wang, Caifang Ni

Published in

The Journal of international medical research. Volume 54. Issue 7. Pages 3000605261464285. Epub Jul 14, 2026.

Abstract

Objective: To develop S1-4 aptamer-conjugated citric acid-coated Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles and evaluate their targeting ability and magnetic hyperthermia effect against MCF-7 breast cancer cells.Methods: Citric acid-coated Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were synthesized by chemical co-precipitation and subsequently conjugated with the S1-4 aptamer to fabricate S1-4 aptamer-conjugated citric acid-coated Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, zeta potential analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometry. Biocompatibility was assessed in MCF-7 and MEF cells; cellular targeting was examined by Prussian blue staining; and the magnetic hyperthermia effect under an alternating magnetic field was evaluated by cell viability, live/dead staining, and apoptosis assays.Results: Compared with citric acid-coated Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles, S1-4 aptamer-conjugated citric acid-coated Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles exhibited a larger hydrodynamic diameter (17 ± 4 nm vs. 8 ± 3 nm) and a more negative surface charge (-26.7 ± 0.3 mV vs. -19.7 ± 0.5 mV). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed successful aptamer conjugation. Both nanoparticles demonstrated good biocompatibility in MCF-7 and MEF cells. Prussian blue staining demonstrated stronger cellular uptake of S1-4 aptamer-conjugated citric acid-coated Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles in MCF-7 cells. Under alternating magnetic field exposure, S1-4 aptamer-conjugated citric acid-coated Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles produced a significantly greater hyperthermia effect than the controls, resulting in reduced cell proliferation and increased apoptosis in MCF-7 cells (P < 0.01).Conclusions: S1-4 aptamer-mediated Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles demonstrated active targeting ability and enhanced the antitumor effect of alternating magnetic field-mediated magnetic hyperthermia in breast cancer cells and maintained low cytotoxicity under the tested conditions, suggesting that they may be a feasible platform for targeted magnetic hyperthermia.

PMID:
42446548
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 14 Jul 2026.

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