Magnetic nanoparticles as a platform for delivery of the photosensitizer methylene blue to HCT116 tumor cells

Hybrid nanosystems based on magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) and human serum albumin (HSA), containing methylene blue (MB) as a model photosensitizer, have been synthesized. The resulting HSA@IONP nanosystems were characterized for size and composition using UV/visible spectrophotometry (particularly, using the Bradford method), dynamic light scattering, and electron magnetic resonance. A study of the dark and photoinduced cytotoxicity of MB, IONP, HSA@IONP, MB–IONP, MB–(HSA@IONP) on of human colon adenocarcinoma HCT116 cells was carried out. Under the experimental conditions, the difference between the dark and light-induced cytotoxicity of nanosystems on cells was significantly enhanced when the photosensitizer was immobilized on the surface of the carrier particles compared to free photosensitizer in equivalent concentrations.