Large‐Scale Synthesis and Medical Applications of Uniform‐Sized Metal Oxide Nanoparticles

Abstract

Thanks to recent advances in the synthesis of high-quality inorganic nanoparticles, more and more types of nanoparticles are becoming available for medical applications. Especially, metal oxide nanoparticles have drawn much attention due to their unique physicochemical properties and relatively inexpensive production costs. To further promote the development and clinical translation of these nanoparticle-based agents, however, it is highly desirable to reduce unwanted interbatch variations of the nanoparticles because characterizing and refining each batch are costly, take a lot of effort, and, thus, are not productive. Large-scale synthesis is a straightforward and economic pathway to minimize this issue. Here, the recent achievements in the large-scale synthesis of uniform-sized metal oxide nanoparticles and their biomedical applications are summarized, with a focus on nanoparticles of transition metal oxides and lanthanide oxides, and clarifying the underlying mechanism for the synthesis of uniform-sized nanoparticles. Surface modification steps to endow hydrophobic nanoparticles with water dispersibility and biocompatibility are also briefly described. Finally, various medical applications of metal oxide nanoparticles, such as bioimaging, drug delivery, and therapy, are presented.

Risk and life cycle assessment of nanoparticles for medical applications prepared using safe- and benign-by-design gas-phase syntheses

“…The physicochemical characterisation (Table 4) of the magnetic nanoparticles confirmed the material properties required for the application of the nanoparticles as a T 2 contrast agent in MRI diagnostics. 19 Ferromagnetic nanoparticles such as γ-Fe 2 O 3 characterised by a particle size above 20 nm are under investigation for highly sensitive MRI diagnostics, e.g. in the case of pancreas transplantation during the treatment of diabetes mellitus, 50 whereas superparamagnetic nanoparticles characterised by iron oxide domains with sizes between 4-20 nm such as SiliFe have been suggested for MRI diagnostics of liver carcinoma.…”

“…SiliFe nanoparticles, 23 produced via LAVA and CoLAVA methods, respectively, are summarised in 19 Based on the iron content, hypothetical mass doses of SiliFe and γ-Fe 2 O 3 in a future diagnostic product were calculated based on known doses of the former contrast agents Feridex® and Resovist® (Table 2). SiliFe has to be applied in higher mass doses (231 mg and 154 mg per dose, respectively), due to the lower iron content, while mass doses of 84 mg and 59 mg per dose, respectively, were calculated for γ-Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles with an organic shell.…”

“…as T 2 contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and in theranostic and hyperthermia treatment. 19 Physicochemical properties, occupational risks, potential environmental impacts and benefits of these nanoparticles in relation to their future value in MRI diagnostics were investigated in this comparative analysis.…”

Synthesis and Characterization of CeGdZn-Ferrite Nanoparticles as Magnetic Hyperthermia Application Agents

“…Various studies have highlighted the colloidal nanoparticle synthesis advancement, which has enabled the implementation of various high-quality nanoparticles for treatment of various patients [1]. Primarily, the application of magnetic nanoparticles is observed as a promising tool for magnetic hyperthermia.…”

Research status and development trend of iron-based nano-medicine

“…铁基纳米药物主要通过化学方法合成, 已有若干 商品上市 [4] (如图1所示), 如磁性氧化铁纳米药物Reso- [22,23] . 由于药物对产品形貌及尺寸的要求, 铁基纳 米药物多以颗粒或团簇体组成的零维纳米结构为主.…”