Current trends in chemical modifications of magnetic nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery in cancer chemotherapy

Abstract

Nowadays, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have been rapidly investigated and attracted worldwide attention due to their great potential as mediators of heat for treating hyperthermia and their possibility to deliver drugs at specific locations, which can thereby limit systematic effects. Cancer therapy via MNPs proposes novel properties rather than normal methods such as almost zero side effects and a high-efficiency rate of effectiveness. The key aim of targeted drug delivery is to reduce side effects of the main cancer treatment that other usual chemotherapies will attend to the body, and thus controlling the effectiveness of the drug on a specific location that tumoral tissue exist. Herein, the high potential of MNPs has been studied, and different examples of their effectiveness on drug delivery and hypothermia therapy have been provided.

Keywords:

• Magnetic nanoparticles
• hyperthermia
• cancer therapy
• drug delivery
• chemotherapy

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Dr. Nasrin Shokrpour at the Research Consultation Center (RCC) of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences for his invaluable assistance in editing this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).