Magnetic nanoparticles-based therapy for malignant mesothelioma.

This work was aimed to analyze the versatility of the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) as in vivo model for the study of the malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) and the therapeutic potential of Fe3O4÷salicylic acid magnetic nanoparticles (SaMNPs) on MPM cells. The antitumor effects of SaMNPs were studied by in vitro and in vivo tests on CARM-L12 TG3 rat malignant mesothelioma cells and human MPM xenografts implanted on CAMs. In order to assess the human MPM xenograft growth characteristics, calretinin, HBME-1 (Hector Battifora mesothelial epitope-1), and cytokeratins immunohistochemical stainings were performed. The human MPM xenografts continue to develop on the CAMs and xenograft MPM cells showed highly metastatic features and a particular pattern of metastasis. The SaMNPs had a specific uptake by the MPM cells and an antiproliferative effect at therapeutic doses greater than 100 μg÷mL. The results confirmed the possibility to use the CAM as in vivo model to study the biology of MPM and to evaluate the antitumor potential of new therapeutic agents. They highlighted a strong antitumor effect of the SaMNPs on the rat and human MPM cells and open new perspectives in the treatment of MPM.