Determining the Synergistic Effect of Magnetic Fields on the Induction of Apoptosis by Folic Acid Targeted Iron Superparamagnetic Nanoparticles Loaded With Lomustine on U87-MG Cell Line

Background: Brain cancer is recognized as one of the deadliest cancers due to late detection and limitations of therapies. Glioblastoma occurs in different parts of the central nervous system and is the second leading cause of cancer death in people. There are many problems for the treatment of cancer cells. One of the limiting factors is the resistance of cancer cells to chemotherapy drugs. The use of nanoparticles (NPs) is an effective method for overcoming this problem. Materials and Methods: Fe3 O4 NPs were synthesized, and the size and morphology of NPs were determined by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Dynamic Light Scattering. The U87-MG cell line was cultured in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle medium and treated with nano, nano-lomustine, lomustine, and complex with/without magnetic fields. Finally, half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50), MTT assay, and caspase8 and caspase9 expression were evaluated, and the data were analyzed with SPSS software. Results: Our results demonstrated that cell apoptosis increased in lomustine and complex groups, especially with the magnetic field (P>0.05). Based on caspase9 expression analysis, this rate was increased with the magnetic field vs. its absence (P>0.05). Conclusion: These findings indicated that a magnetic field, in addition to reducing the effective dose of lomustine, affects apoptosis with a change in the expression of genes involved in this process.