Development of a novel thermal-sensitive multifunctional liposome with antibody conjugation to target EGFR-expressing tumors.

A novel EGFR-targeting, thermal-sensitive multifunctional liposome (TSML) was developed based on manganese-doped magnetism-engineered iron oxide nanoparticles (MnMEIOs) and gold nanorods (AuNRs) for efficient photothermal therapy and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. An Erbitux-conjugated TSML (Erb-TSML) was encapsulated with doxorubicin and gold nanorods conjugated with manganese-doped magnetism-engineered iron oxide nanoparticles, for theranostic applications of EGFR-positive tumors. The Erb-TSML selectively targeted EGFR-positive tumors and promoted tumor destruction by laser activation. Using confocal microscopy, MR and optical imaging, we demonstrated that Erb-TSML specifically bound to A431 tumor cells. No signs of major morphological damages to the normal tissues were observed in mice treated with Erb-TSML and laser, indicating this theranostic platform protected heart against doxorubicin-induced toxicity to normal tissues. These results indicate that the Erb-TSML may be a promising diagnostic and therapeutic platform for EGFR-overexpressing tumors.