Nanotheranostic based iron oxide (Fe₃O₄) saturated lactoferrin nanocapsules for colonic adenocarcinoma

Efficient early detection of cancer and its simultaneous therapy can improve the survival of cancer patients significantly. Recently there is great interest for the development of nanotheranostic systems with multimodal live real-time imaging ability. Novel multimodal multifunctional iron oxide (Fe3O4) saturated lactoferrin (FebLf) nanocapsules/nanocarriers (FebLf NCs) nanoformulation was fabricated. Anti-cancer nanotheranostic ability in human xenograft colonic adenocarcinoma model was conducted in vivo by employing near infrared flouroscence (NIRF) real time live mice imaging technology. FebLf NCs showed spherical morphology with 50 to 80 nm size with super paramagnetic property and exhibited profound in vivo anti-tumour efficacy, leading to regression of the xenograft colonic tumour growth over a 90 day trial period. NIRF real time imaging revealed selective localisation patterns of the FebLf NCs at the tumour site causing tumour growth inhibition. In turn, ex vivo NIRF imaging of mice organs showed enhanced tumoural uptake and biodistribution at the vital organs including spleen, intestine, kidney, and intestine. Low-density lipoprotein receptors (LDLRs), ferroportin, ferritin receptor based in vivo internalisation mechanisms and iron metabolism regulation were observed. Histopathological analysis revealed obsolute non-toxic nature of FebLf NCs in mice tissues. These observations summate biocompatible, multimodal anticancer activity of novel FebLf NCs for real time cancer therapeutic imaging leading to targeted colonic adenocarcinoma therapy.