Docetaxel grafted magnetic nanoparticles as dual-therapeutic agentia for targeting perfusion therapy of urethral carcinoma

Although urethral carcinoma has a low incidence, it suffers from a poor curative rate for the low retention of medicine around urethra. In the present study, we developed a kind of magnetic targeting perfusion chemotherapy to detain the chemotherapeutic drugs. Docetaxel (TXT) grafted magnetic nanoparticles, of which size was around 40 nm, were obtained by the conjugation of TXT to amino-functionalized iron oxide (NH2@Fe3O4). They have shown great potential to be targeted to and stayed in desired position of urethra under the externally applied magnetism through in vitro mimic urethral study. Furthermore, they have validly inhibited the growth of direct-contacted human urethral squamous carcinoma cells in vitro (up to 56.34 %) by the combination effects of TXT and NH2@Fe3O4, however, less than 3 % of TXT released from the nanoparticles, which was very few to impair the adjacent normal cells and tissues. Therefore, this kind of novel agentia was expected to hold great potential in clinic urethral carcinoma therapy.