Issue 32, 2024

Membrane-localized magnetic hyperthermia promotes intracellular delivery of cell-impermeant probes

Abstract

In this work, we report the disruptive use of membrane-localized magnetic hyperthermia to promote the internalization of cell-impermeant probes. Under an alternating magnetic field, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) immobilized on the cell membrane via bioorthogonal click chemistry act as nanoheaters and lead to the thermal disruption of the plasma membrane, which can be used for internalization of different types of molecules, such as small fluorescent probes and nucleic acids. Noteworthily, no cell death, oxidative stress and alterations of the cell cycle are detected after the thermal stimulus, although cells are able to sense and respond to the thermal stimulus through the expression of different types of heat shock proteins (HSPs). Finally, we demonstrate the utility of this approach for the transfection of cells with a small interference RNA (siRNA), revealing a similar efficacy to a standard transfection method based on the use of cationic lipid-based reagents (such as Lipofectamine), but with lower cell toxicity. These results open the possibility of developing new procedures for “opening and closing” cellular membranes with minimal disturbance of cellular integrity. This on-demand modification of cell membrane permeability could allow the direct intracellular delivery of biologically relevant (bio)molecules, drugs and nanomaterials, thus overcoming traditional endocytosis pathways and avoiding endosomal entrapment.

Graphical abstract: Membrane-localized magnetic hyperthermia promotes intracellular delivery of cell-impermeant probes

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
06 May 2024
Accepted
16 Jul 2024
First published
25 Jul 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Nanoscale, 2024,16, 15176-15195

Membrane-localized magnetic hyperthermia promotes intracellular delivery of cell-impermeant probes

J. Idiago-López, D. Ferreira, L. Asín, M. Moros, I. Armenia, V. Grazú, A. R. Fernandes, J. M. de la Fuente, P. V. Baptista and R. M. Fratila, Nanoscale, 2024, 16, 15176 DOI: 10.1039/D4NR01955E

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