On gastrointestinal-stromal-tumor-bearing mice, researchers lead by Prof. Zhang Xin at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Hefei Institutes of Physical Science paired the 9.4 T static magnetic field (SMF) with the frequently used anti-cancer medicine imatinib mesylate. They discovered that the 9.4 T SMF not only boosted imatinib’s anti-tumor efficacy, but also decreased the drug’s adverse effects on tissues and organs. It also lowered depressed behavior in mice.
The results of this study were reported in the European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.
SMF is a component of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that contributes significantly to picture resolution. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared 7 T MRI for clinical diagnosis, and 9.4T MRI has been tested on healthy human volunteers.
However, since safety considerations are required for high-field MRI applications, future 9.4T MRI applications will benefit tremendously from trials in animal illness models. Long-term use of targeted anticancer medications, on the other hand, as the majority of anticancer treatment, often results in substantial side effects and drug resistance, which has a significant impact on clinical effectiveness and patient quality of life.
The biosafety of 9.4 T SMF exposure in GIST tumor-bearing mice was studied in this work. They also looked at how SMF, alone or in combination with imatinib mesylate, affected tumor development, side effects, and mental state in mice.
The findings revealed that the 9.4 T SMF therapy for 200 hours had high biosafety when it reduced tumor development by 62.88% when associated with 20 mg/kg imatinib mesylate, and it resulted in 92.75% tumor suppression when combined with 20 mg/kg imatinib mesylate.
This mimics the anticancer effect of high-dose imatinib (80 mg/kg), but induces severe adverse effects in mice, including considerable weight loss, impaired liver function, and depression.
“The 9.4 T SMF therapy dramatically decreased these imatinib-induced adverse effects, particularly depressed behaviors,” stated Bao Xun, the study’s lead author.
These findings suggest that not only does a 9.4 T static magnetic field have anti-tumor potential, but it may also improve the effectiveness of imatinib mesylate and minimize side effects, which has considerable therapeutic promise in future applications.
