Glutaric acid as a spacer facilitates improved intracellular uptake of LHRH–SPION into human breast cancer cells

Challa SSR Kumar¹, Carola Leuschner³, Michelle Urbina^1,2, Tevhida Ozkaya^1,4, Josef Hormes¹

¹Center for Advanced Microstructures and Devices, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA; ²Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA; ³Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University System, Baton Rouge, LA, USA; ⁴Chemistry Department, Fatih University, Istanbul, Turkey

Abstract: Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) bound directly to luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) have shown high efficiency for intracellular uptake to breast cancer cells, MDA-MB-435S.luc. We demonstrate in this communication that inclusion of a small spacer molecule such as glutaric acid (Glu) in between SPION and LHRH increases further receptor mediated intracellular uptake. LHRH-bound SPIONs with and without the spacer molecule were nontoxic.

Keywords: Glutaric acid; luteinizing hormone releasing hormone; superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, MDA-MB-435S.luc., intracellular uptake