Context: Researchers at the Institute of Nano Science & Technology (INST), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, in their recent study have found that stevioside, when coated on nanoparticles can increase the efficiency of Magnetic hyperthermia-mediated cancer therapy (MHCT).
About Stevioside

• It is a natural plant-based glycoside found in the leaves of Honey yerba (‘Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni’).
• It is a glycoside derived from the stevia plant, which can be used as a sweetener.
• It is the main sweetener with rebaudioside A, found in the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana, a plant originating in South America.
• It was discovered in 1931 by French chemists who gave it its name.
• The sweetening power of stevioside was estimated to be about 300 times stronger than cane sugar.

About Magnetic hyperthermia-mediated cancer therapy (MHCT)

• MHCT method of cancer therapy is based on heating the tumour tissues using magnetic nanoparticles in comparison to the routinely used surfactant moieties (oleic acid and polysorbate-80).
• It is based on generation of localised heat at the tumour site on exposure to AMF (alternating magnetic field) in the presence of magnetic nanoparticles.