Development of Novel Biodegradable Multi-Functional Nanoparticles for Melanoma Diagnostic and Therapy

Melanoma remains the deadliest form of skin cancer with more than 500,000 afflicted patients annually in the U.S. The challenge is the delivery of anticancer drugs to the cancer cells with minimal side effects to the healthy cells. This study offers a new method to treat the melanoma by utilizing newly developed biodegradable photoluminescent polymer-coated magnetic nanoparticles (BPLP-MNPs). These nanoparticles are biodegradable, biocompatible, and have capabilities of targeting, imaging and treating the melanoma. The synthesis of BPLP-MNPs utilizes double emulsion technique and carbondiimide chemistry to formulate insoluble and soluble nanoparticles, respectively. Using the particle analyzer, size, polydispersity and surface charge on the nanoparticles were measured. Cellular uptake of nanoparticles was studied using melanoma cell lines, A431 and G361. The results show that the nanoparticle size was about 200 nm with polydispersity index of 0.2. The stable nanoparticles had zeta potential (surface charge) of -30mV to -39mV. Moreover, a dose-dependent cellular uptake of nanoparticle by skin cancer cells was observed, suggesting that melanoma cells were efficient in taking up the nanoparticles. Future studies include evaluation of cancer cell-specificity of these nanoparticles by performing extensive in vitro cell studies.