Evaluation of magnetic nanoprobe for breast cancer immunolabeling: Experimental study in vivo

Currently, application of nanotechnology in biomedicine contributes in progress related to the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. Our research group is working on the development of an innovative technology to promote the selective ablation of breast cancer in its early stages by the use of high frequency magnetic fields assisted by magnetic nanoparticles. This study is focused to show experimentally the pass of a nanoprobe “Magnetic nanoparticle-antibody anti cerbB-2” from the vascular endothelium to the neoplastic epithelium. A nanoprobe was developed by the covalent union of fluorescent magnetic nanoparticles and anti cerbB-2 Mab by carbodiimide method. A breast cancer model induced in rats with N-methyl, N-nitrosourea (MNU) was employed. Systemic infusion of nanoprobe was conducted and guided to the cancerous tissue by an external magnet positioned in the tumor region. Dissection and histopathological characterization of tumor as well as the detection of nanoprobe by an immunofluorescence assay were performed. The results indicate that the induced tumor corresponds to an invasive ductal carcinoma, and immunofluorescence analysis showed the presence of the nanoprobe in tumoral ducts, which is indicative of the direct path of the nanoprobe into the tumor and its binding to c-erbB-2 expressed in the cytoplasmic membrane of tumor cells.