Synergistic Antitumor Efficacy of Magnetohyperthermia and Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-Encapsulated Selol in Ehrlich Breast Adenocarcinoma Treatment in Elderly Swiss Mice

Nanobiotechnology strategies for cancer treatments are currently being tested with increasing interest, except in elderly groups. It is well established that breast cancer incidence increases with age and that traditional therapies usually generate severe adverse effects, especially for elderly groups. To investigate if the benefits of nanotechnology could be extended to treating cancer in this group, citrate-coated maghemite nanoparticles (NpCit) were used for magnetohyperthermia (MHT) in combination with the administration of PLGA-Selol nanocapsule (NcSel), a formulation with antioxidant and antitumor activity. The combined therapies significantly inhibited breast Ehrlich tumor growth and prevented metastases to the lymph nodes, liver and lungs until 45 days after tumor induction, a better result than the group undergoing conventional drug treatment. The levels of TNF-α, associated with poor prognosis in Ehrlich tumor, were also normalized. Therefore, the results evidenced the potential use of these therapies for future clinical trials in elderly breast cancer patients.