Comparative evaluation of magnetic hyperthermia performance and biocompatibility of magnetite and novel Fe-doped hardystonite nanoparticles for potential bone cancer therapy

Hyperthermia—increasing temperature of cancerous tissue for a short period of time—is considered as an effective treatment for various cancer types such as malignant bone tumors. Superparamagnetic and ferromagnetic particles have been studied for their hyperthermic properties in treating various types of cancers. The activation of magnetic nanoparticles by an alternating magnetic field is currently being explored as a technique for targeted therapeutic heating of different tumors and is being studied as an adjuvant to conventional chemotherapy and radiation therapy. In the case of bone cancers, to increase the efficiency of treatment in the hyperthermia therapy, employed materials should support bone regeneration as well. Magnetite is one of the most attractive magnetic nanoceramics used in hyperthermia application. However, biocompatibility and bioactivity of this material have raised questions. There is a high demand for extremely efficient hyperthermia materials which are equally biocompatible to non-tumor cells and tissues. We report the development of a biocompatible and bioactive material with desirable magnetic properties that show excellent hyperthermia properties and can be used for destruction of the cancerous tissue in addition to supporting tissue regeneration for treatment of bone tumors. In the current study, iron (Fe ³⁺ )-containing HT nanostructured material was prepared, and its biocompatibility, bioactivity, and hyperthermia abilities were studied. The developed materials showed effective hyperthermic properties with increased biocompatibility as compared to magnetite.