Traditional treatment approaches for cancer involve intravenous chemotherapy or other forms of drug delivery. These therapeutic measures suffer from several limitations such as nonspecific targeting, poor biodistribution, and buildup of drug resistances. However, significant technological advancements have been made in terms of superior modes of drug delivery over the last few decades. Technical capability in analyzing the molecular mechanisms of tumor biology, nanotechnology─particularly the development of biocompatible nanoparticles, surface modification techniques, microelectronics, and material sciences─has increased. As a result, a significant number of nanostructured carriers that can deliver drugs to specific cancerous sites with high efficiency have been developed. This particular maneuver that enables the introduction of a therapeutic nanostructured substance in the body by controlling the rate, time, and place is defined as the nanostructured drug delivery system (NDDS). Because of their versatility and ability to incorporate features such as specific targeting, water solubility, stability, biocompatibility, degradability, and ability to reverse drug resistance, they have attracted the interest of the scientific community, in general, and nanotechnologists as well as biomedical scientists. To keep pace with the rapid advancement of nanotechnology, specific technical aspects of the recent NDDSs and their prospects need to be reported coherently. To address these ongoing issues, this review article provides an overview of different NDDSs such as lipids, polymers, and inorganic nanoparticles. In addition, this review also reports the challenges of current NDDSs and points out the prospective research directions of these nanocarriers. From our focused review, we conclude that still now the most advanced and potent field of application for NDDSs is lipid-based, while other significantly potential fields include polymer-based and inorganic NDDSs. However, despite the promises, challenges remain in practical implementations of such NDDSs in terms of dosage and stability, and caution should be exercised regarding biocompatibility of materials. Considering these aspects objectively, this review on NDDSs will be particularly of interest for small-to-large scale industrial researchers and academicians with expertise in drug delivery, cancer research, and nanotechnology.

Recent Progress in Nanostructured Smart Drug Delivery Systems for Cancer Therapy: A Review.

A review on biomedical applications, prospects, and challenges of rare earth oxides

Cancer is a disease that has resulted in millions of deaths worldwide. The current conventional therapies utilized for the treatment of cancer have detrimental side effects. This led scientific researchers to explore new therapeutic avenues with an improved benefit to risk profile. Researchers have found nanoparticles, particles between the 1 and 100 nm range, to be encouraging tools in the area of cancer. Magnetic nanoparticles are one of many available nanoparticles at present. Magnetic nanoparticles have increasingly been receiving a considerable amount of attention in recent years owing to their unique magnetic properties, among many others. Magnetic nanoparticles can be controlled by an external magnetic field, signifying their ability to be site specific. The most popular approaches for the synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles are co-precipitation, thermal decomposition, hydrothermal, and polyol synthesis. The functionalization of magnetic nanoparticles is essential as it significantly increases their biocompatibility. The most utilized functionalization agents are comprised of polymers. The synthesis and functionalization of magnetic nanoparticles will be further explored in this review. The biomedical applications of magnetic nanoparticles investigated in this review are drug delivery, magnetic hyperthermia, and diagnosis. The diagnosis aspect focuses on the utilization of magnetic nanoparticles as contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging. Clinical trials and toxicology studies relating to the application of magnetic nanoparticles for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer will also be discussed in this review.

Emerging Application of Magnetic Nanoparticles for Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancer

Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) in biomedical and clinical applications: A review

Cancer is among the leading causes of mortality globally, with nearly 10 million deaths in 2020. The emergence of nanotechnology has revolutionised treatment strategies in medicine, with rigorous research focusing on designing multi-functional nanoparticles (NPs) that are biocompatible, non-toxic, and target-specific. Iron-oxide-based NPs have been successfully employed in theranostics as imaging agents and drug delivery vehicles for anti-cancer treatment. Substituted iron-oxides (MFe2O4) have emerged as potential nanocarriers due to their unique and attractive properties such as size and magnetic tunability, ease of synthesis, and manipulatable properties. Current research explores their potential use in hyperthermia and as drug delivery vehicles for cancer therapy. Significantly, there are considerations in applying iron-oxide-based NPs for enhanced biocompatibility, biodegradability, colloidal stability, lowered toxicity, and more efficient and targeted delivery. This review covers iron-oxide-based NPs in cancer therapy, focusing on recent research advances in the use of ferrites. Methods for the synthesis of cubic spinel ferrites and the requirements for their considerations as potential nanocarriers in cancer therapy are discussed. The review highlights surface modifications, where functionalisation with specific biomolecules can deliver better efficiency. Finally, the challenges and solutions for the use of ferrites in cancer therapy are summarised.

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Advances in the Synthesis and Application of Magnetic Ferrite Nanoparticles for Cancer Therapy

Recent progress of magnetic nanoparticles in biomedical applications: A review

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have been a powerful tool in recent biomedical and environmental research. MNPs have widespread uses, ranging from DNA extraction using magnetic bioseparation to hypothermic killing of cancerous cells. Apart from their use in magnetic hyperthermia and magnetic bioseparation, MNPs can be used as drug delivery systems (DDSs). Conventional DDSs are prone to various challenges such as premature release of the drug, off- target delivery, low efficiency in drug loading, and interaction with the natural immune system of human body. Many of these issues can be ameliorated by incorporating MNPs into the DDS, which can be further developed into a magnetic nanocomposite (MNC). These MNCs have better targeting efficiency and higher drug-loading efficacy due to large surface area and are responsive to external magnetic stimuli. As well as improving drug delivery efficiency, these MNCs can be utilized as a theranostics platform to simultaneously diagnose and treat the diseased area. Unique magnetic properties such as low toxicity, high magnetic saturation, and stability in biological solutions make MNPs an excellent choice for targeted drug delivery vehicle and good agents for photodynamic therapy. At the forefront of modern genetic engineering, MNPs are being used in the revolutionary gene editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 system to increase the efficacy of gene editing via increasing gene delivery efficiency. In this chapter we will briefly discuss various aspects of MNPs and their synthesis as well as functionalization of the particles to incorporate them into different MNCs and their biomedical application. We will also discuss the use of MNPs in imaging modalities, which provide an efficient theranostics module against different types of diseases such as cancer.

Muzahidul I. Anik

Papers

Recent progress of magnetic nanoparticles in biomedical applications: A review

Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) in biomedical and clinical applications: A review

Biomedical applications of magnetic nanoparticles