Implication of Magnetic Nanoparticles in Cancer Detection, Screening and Treatment

Abstract

During the last few decades, magnetic nanoparticles have been evaluated as promising materials in the field of cancer detection, screening, and treatment. Early diagnosis and screening of cancer may be achieved using magnetic nanoparticles either within the magnetic resonance imaging technique and/or sensing systems. These sensors are designed to selectively detect specific biomarkers, compounds that can be related to the onset or evolution of cancer, during and after the treatment of this widespread disease. Some of the particular properties of magnetic nanoparticles are extensively exploited in cancer therapy as drug delivery agents to selectively target the envisaged location by tailored in vivo manipulation using an external magnetic field. Furthermore, individualized treatment with antineoplastic drugs may be combined with magnetic resonance imaging to achieve an efficient therapy. This review summarizes the studies about the implications of magnetic nanoparticles in cancer diagnosis, treatment and drug delivery as well as prospects for future development and challenges of magnetic nanoparticles in the field of oncology.

Shape Anisotropic Iron Oxide-Based Magnetic Nanoparticles: Synthesis and Biomedical Applications

“…High-quality nanoparticles are attained by different methods, which can be separated in three main classes: physical, chemical and biological [25]. Physical methods include pulsed laser ablation and pyrolysis, while chemical encompass a wide variety of methods, such as co precipitation, hydrothermal and solvothermal synthesis, thermal decomposition, sol-gel synthesis, sonochemical decomposition, microemulsion, microwave-assisted and electrochemical synthesis [24][25][26]. Biological routes include the bacterial and microorganism synthesis [24][25][26].…”

“…Physical methods include pulsed laser ablation and pyrolysis, while chemical encompass a wide variety of methods, such as co precipitation, hydrothermal and solvothermal synthesis, thermal decomposition, sol-gel synthesis, sonochemical decomposition, microemulsion, microwave-assisted and electrochemical synthesis [24][25][26]. Biological routes include the bacterial and microorganism synthesis [24][25][26]. The advantages and disadvantages of the common methods are included in Table 1, besides examples of spherical and anisotropic shape nanoparticles obtained through each method.…”

In Vitro Intracellular Hyperthermia of Iron Oxide Magnetic Nanoparticles, Synthesized at High Temperature by a Polyol Process

“…Since the validation of ferrimagnetic iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles, IOMNPs (magnetite-Fe 3 O 4 or maghemite-Fe 2 O 3 ), by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration [1], this class of magnetic nanoparticles has been the subject of intense research for their potentiality in a widespread number of biomedical and pharmaceutical applications [2][3][4][5][6]. To be efficient as vectors for targeted drug delivery, contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and heating mediators in magnetic hyperthermia (MH), the IOMNPs should possess a maximum value of saturation magnetization (M s ) and minimum value of coercive field (H c ) and remnant magnetization (M r ) [7][8][9].…”

Magnetic nanoparticles in microfluidic and sensing: From transport to detection

“…The identification of these biomarkers involves a detecting innovation as well as pretreatment steps of the sample that are required to investigate and examine, therefore, appropriate for so-called LOC or μTAS [3]. MNPs have been investigated as a nanotag [74,75] for analyte quantification, selective binding, extraction, and isolation of DNA and cells [76]. Multipurpose MNPs, including microspheres and microbeads, have been broadly investigated for procedure steps that are essential for LOC diagnostic tests.…”