Journal Critique Paper: Size-tunable drug-delivery capsules composed of a magnetic

nanoshell
ARTICLE:
Fuchigami, T., Kitamoto, Y., & Namiki, Y. (2012). Size-tunable drug-delivery capsules composed
of a magnetic nanoshell. Biomatter,2(4), 313-320. doi:10.4161/biom.22617

The article proposed size-tunable drug-delivery capsules composed of magnetic nanoshell.

The purpose of the study was to synthesize nano-sized FePt capsules with two types of ultrathin
shell and to test their applicability as a drug carrier in magnetically guided drug delivery systems.
The authors clearly explain the importance of magnetic capsules as carriers of therapeutic agents
in magnetically guided drug delivery systems, their usual composition, and their limitations in
terms of loading capacity.

Magnetic carriers with efficient loading, delivery, and release of drugs are required for
magnetically guided drug delivery system (DDS) as the potential cancer therapy.1 The research
takes into consideration that the higher magnetocrystalline anisotropy constant means that the
thickness of the shells can be reduced without any deterioration of the magnetic response. They
were able to fabricate the nano-sized shells by using FePt alloy because it has a higher
magnetocrystalline anisotropy constant compared to iron oxides, which have been used in the
production of magnetic capsules developed for magnetically guided drug delivery systems (MG-
DDSs). It is explained that since the hybrid shell was composed of FePt nanoparticles and a single
layer of Polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride (PDDA), and the FePt network shell was
composed of FePt alloy only, the total size of the capsule depends solely on the diameters of the
silica template particles and the FePt nanoparticles. The authors also noted that the capsular size
should be controlled by varying the size of the silica template particles and shell thickness could
be also controlled by changing the amount of FePt nanoparticles accumulated on the surface of the
PDDA-modified silica template. Using this information, the problem of the FePt capsules being
too large for them to be used in a nano-scale drug delivery system (nano-DDS) was solved by
controlling the amount of FePt nanoparticles and PDDA molecules. It is emphasized that the
control of the amount is absolutely crucial to obtain the thin shell and the whole diameter suitable
for nano-DDS, and the researchers conducted an experiment to be able to demonstrate the
sufficient amount of FePt nanoparticles and PDDA molecules to obtain 3D structure.
 In summary, the authors addressed the limitations of magnetic capsules in providing
sufficient internal space when applied to nano-scale drug delivery systems targeting cancer lesions.
In nano-DDSs targeting cancer tissue, the size of the carrier is limited— and to avoid the
elimination of carriers after intravenous administration, the total size of nano-scale drug capsules
must be between several tens of nanometers and 200 nm. It is documented from previous studies
that the shells of magnetic capsules have been too thick to be applied to nano-DDSs, and the
authors supported this by indicating that when using a magnetic capsule with a diameter of 100
nm and a shell thickness of 20 nm, the loading capacity for therapeutic agents is limited to only
22% of the capsule volume. They argued that a thinner shell is required to increase the loading
capacity for biomedical agents and to decrease the number of magnetic components administered
to human bodies while still adhering to the size limitations applicable to nano-DDSs. They
fabricated nano-sized FePt capsules with two types of ultrathin shell using a template method for
use in nanoscale, and tested their applicability in MG-DDSs by conducting a drug delivery
experiment.

The study was concluded with a reduced capsular size from 340 to less than 90 nm by
changing the size of the silica template particles, and the shell thickness was controlled by
changing the amount of FePt nanoparticles adsorbed on the template particles. The hybrid shell
thickness was 10 nm at the maximum and was maintained by the connection of FePt nanoparticles
and polymer molecules. The FePt network shell thickness was 3 nm, fabricated by hydrothermal
treatment of the FePt/polymer-modified silica composite particles produced from only the FePt
alloy. Water-soluble anti-cancer drugs could be loaded into the hollow space of FePt network
capsules, and lipid-coated FePt network capsules loaded with anti-cancer drugs showed cellular
toxicity. The results suggest the applicability of the product as a drug carrier in magnetically guided
drug delivery systems.

Though it got a little complicated due to the intricate mathematical procedures and
scientific concepts I am not fully educated upon, the data presented was straightforward and
evidently supports the conclusions made by the authors. It was a very in-depth research study and
was well written and well organized. Targeted delivery of anticancer drugs is considered to be one
of the pillars of cancer treatment as it could allow for a better treatment efficiency and less adverse
effects. A promising drug delivery approach is magnetic drug targeting; however, clinical trials of
magnetic drug delivery receives less attention. There were several small clinical trials, but none
resulted in FDA approval.2 Additional studies on magnetic drug delivery and its mechanisms for
delivery into the depth of the body should be further explored. Overall, the article was very
interesting and thought-provoking. It was very informative considering I did not know
magnetically guided drug delivery systems even existed before reading this article. I have also
learned that we are advancing to a new era of technology and that we should not stop to improve
and develop what we have because every new thing learned has a significant contribution
especially in the field of medicine and biology.

SOURCES:

1
Fuchigami, T., Kawamura, R., Kitamoto, Y., Nakagawa, M., & Namiki, Y. (2012). A
magnetically guided anti-cancer drug delivery system using porous FePt
capsules. Biomaterials,33(5), 1682-1687. doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2011.11.016

2
Price, P. M., Mahmoud, W. E., Al-Ghamdi, A. A., & Bronstein, L. M. (2018). Magnetic Drug
Delivery: Where the Field Is Going. Frontiers in Chemistry,6.
doi:10.3389/fchem.2018.00619