Dendritic cells (DCs) are known as antigen-presenting cells (APC), a set that includes B-lymphocytes and macrophages, being very active at the first steps of most immune responses of the humoral and cellular immune system. DCs were first reported by Steinman et al. in 1973, who named them after their lengthy membrane extensions resembling nerve dendrimers. The DCs are derived from bone marrow precursors in response to different growth factors including the granular monocyte colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF). The process of differentiation of DCs can be divided into three states: precursor, immature and mature.
Loading magnetic NPs with specific anticancer drugs and targeting them to specific tumor sites is a promising strategy for detection and elimination of neoplastic cells disregarding their physical size, which in turn could stop metastatic cells from proliferating. However, it is now generally recognized that the reticulo-endothelial system (RES) is a very effective system that detects and phagocytes NPs, preventing their therapeutic function.
The bottom line of using dendritic cells as carriers of NPs is to mimic biological units in order to elude the immune response of the body. Difficult. But possible.
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