Effect of Iron Oxide Nanoparticle Shape on Doxorubicin Drug Delivery Toward LNCaP and PC-3 Cell Lines T. R. Nizamov 1 & A. S. Garanina 1,2 & I. S. Grebennikov 1 & O. A. Zhironkina 3 & O. S. Strelkova 3 & I. B. Alieva 3 & I. I. Kireev 3 & M. A. Abakumov 1,4 & A. G. Savchenko 1 & A. G. Majouga 1,2,5 # Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2018 Abstract In this paper, we investigated the delivery efficiency of doxorubicin by magnetite nanoparticles with different shape to LNCaP and PC-3 prostate cancer cell lines. Cubic and spherical nanoparticles of magnetite were synthesized in organic medium and hydrophilized by non-ionic surfactant Pluronic F127—polyethylene-polypropylene oxide polymer. Doxorubicin was loaded into hydrophobic region of polymeric shell. We have observed that cytotoxicity and distribution of doxorubicin in cells changed significantly in case of drug loaded into nanoparticles in comparison with free doxorubicin. We have shown that this change is due to two main reasons: (1) slower internalization of nanoparticles by cells compared to free doxorubicin and (2) slow and incomplete release of doxorubicin from nanoparticle polymer shell. Interestingly, nanoparticle shape influenced cytotoxicity and the dynamics of drug accumulation inside cancer cells. We have found that doxorubicin-loaded cubic nanoparticles were more toxic for both cell lines compared to spherical ones. Moreover, doxorubicin from cubic nanoparticles accumulated in cells faster than the drug loaded in spherical nanoparticles. So, our work shows that for efficient drug delivery, not only size and coating should be taken into account but also the shape of initial core as it plays an important role in nanoparticle interaction with cells. Keywords Iron oxide nanoparticles . Nanoparticle shape . Drug delivery . Doxorubicin . Human prostate cancer cell lines 1 Introduction Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONs) are promising multifunctional nanomaterials for biomedical applications. They demonstrate unique set of properties such as T2 contrast properties for MRI, magnetic hyperthermia, relatively low toxicity, biocom- patibility, biodegradability, and high surface area [1–6]. Thus, IONs can be used in theranostics—combination of diagnostics (MRI) with therapy (drug delivery and hyperthermia). The important advantage of this paradigm is ability of real-time imaging of drug distribution to the target, as well as studying the effect of therapeutics on the tumor growth dynamics [7]. The other necessary advantage of IONs is response for exter- nal stimuli such as alternate magnetic field which may cause release of drug from magnetic carrier into target [8–10]. Overall, those properties of IONs give a serious opportunity to visualize the behavior and location of drug carrier in living organism and then to cause controllably drug release on de- mand via non-invasive trigger—alternate magnetic field. The therapy can be realized via hyperthermia because magnetic nanoparticles are able to convert energy of external magnetic field to thermal energy. This effect of heating is called Neel relaxation [11]. Then, the local heating of targeted tissues cause apoptosis of cancer cells which are more sensitive to the heating. Furthermore, magnetic field of low frequency leads the magnetic nanoparticles to rotate intensively. Such effect can induce drug release or damage membranes of can- cer cells—perspective opportunity in cancer treatment [12, 13]. This is the reason of using magnetic material-based ther- apy in cancer treatment. * T. R. Nizamov nizamov.timur@gmail.com 1 National University of Science and Technology BMISiS^, Leninsky prospect 4, Moscow, Russia 119049 2 Faculty of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory 1-3, Moscow, Russia 119991 3 Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory 1-40, Moscow, Russia 119992 4 Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University (RNRMU), Ostrovitianov str. 1, Moscow, Russia 117997 5 Dmitry Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia, Miusskaya sq. 9, Moscow, Russia 125047 BioNanoScience https://doi.org/10.1007/s12668-018-0502-y