Effective elimination of liver cancer stem-like cells by CD90 antibody targeted thermosensitive magnetoliposomes

Aim: To investigate the use of thermosensitive magnetoliposomes (TMs) loaded with magnetic iron oxide (Fe3O4) and the anti-cancer stem cell marker CD90 (CD90@TMs) to target and kill CD90+ liver cancer stem cells (LCSCs). Methods: The hepatocellular carcinoma cell line Huh7 was used to separate CD90+ LCSCs by magnetic-activated cell sorting. CD90@TMs was characterized and their ability to target CD90+ LCSCs was determined. Experiments were used to investigate whether CD90@TMs combined with magnetic hyperthermia could effectively eliminate CD90+ LCSCs. Results: The present study demonstrated that CD90+ LCSCs with stem cells properties were successfully isolated. We also successfully prepared CD90@TMs that was almost spherical and uniform with an average diameter of 130 +/- 4.6 nm and determined that magnetic iron oxide could be incorporated and retained a superparamagnetic response. CD90@TMs showed good targeting and increased inhibition of CD90+ LCSCs in vitro and in vivo compared to TMs. Conclusion: CD90@TMs can be used for controlled and targeted delivery of anticancer drugs, which may offer a promising alternative for HCC therapy.