MDPI Acta Medica Okayama 1420-3049 29 11 2024 In Vitro Study of Tumor-Homing Peptide-Modified Magnetic Nanoparticles for Magnetic Hyperthermia 2632 EN Shengli Zhou Department of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Kaname Tsutsumiuchi College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chubu University Ritsuko Imai College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chubu University Yukiko Miki College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chubu University Anna Kondo College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chubu University Hiroshi Nakagawa College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chubu University Kazunori Watanabe Department of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Takashi Ohtsuki Department of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Cancer cells have higher heat sensitivity compared to normal cells; therefore, hyperthermia is a promising approach for cancer therapy because of its ability to selectively kill cancer cells by heating them. However, the specific and rapid heating of tumor tissues remains challenging. This study investigated the potential of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) modified with tumor-homing peptides (THPs), specifically PL1 and PL3, for tumor-specific magnetic hyperthermia therapy. The synthesis of THP-modified MNPs involved the attachment of PL1 and PL3 peptides to the surface of the MNPs, which facilitated enhanced tumor cell binding and internalization. Cell specificity studies revealed an increased uptake of PL1- and PL3-MNPs by tumor cells compared to unmodified MNPs, indicating their potential for targeted delivery. In vitro hyperthermia experiments demonstrated the efficacy of PL3-MNPs in inducing tumor cell death when exposed to an alternating magnetic field (AMF). Even without exposure to an AMF, an additional ferroptotic pathway was suggested to be mediated by the nanoparticles. Thus, this study suggests that THP-modified MNPs, particularly PL3-MNPs, hold promise as a targeted approach for tumor-specific magnetic hyperthermia therapy. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.