Abstract
Iron chelating agents derived from bacterial siderophores were originally used for iron overload syndromes but have recently been investigated for cancer therapy. While systemic administration of iron chelating agents induces undesirable side effects, bacteria as a source of siderophores could potentially act as local chelator that is tumor-targeted and amplifies its impact through preferential accumulation and self-replication in tumors. Here, we report the use and characterization of Magnetospirillum magneticum AMB-1 as living iron chelator. We quantified the amount of secreted bacterial siderophores and show that they exert changes in human transferrin’s (Tf) structure. Next, we examined the bacteria’s ability to target iron homeostasis in vitro and our experiments revealed an increased expression of transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1). Our results suggest that magnetotactic bacteria have potential as self-replicating antineoplastic agents which compete with cancer cells for iron, and might be a solution for overcoming challenges of current iron chelation cancer therapies.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.