ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Iron oxide nanoparticles are a kind of magnetic nanomaterial. Their excellent characteristics make them more and more widely used in medicine, especially in bone tissue regeneration and repair. OBJECTIVE: To review the research progress and application of iron oxide nanoparticles in bone tissue repair and regeneration.METHODS: A computer-based search of CBM, CNKI, PubMed and Elsevier was performed for retrieving articles concerning iron oxide nanoparticles for bone tissue regeneration published from May 2004 to January 2018. The keywords were "bone repair; bone regeneration; iron oxide nanoparticles; magnetic nanoparticles" in Chinese and "IONPs; bone repair; bone regenerate; iron oxide nanoparticles; osteogenesis; stem cell" in English. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: In recent years, magnetic nanoparticles have been widely used in medical research, such as targeted drug delivery, magnetic resonance imaging, local tissue thermotherapy and tumor therapy, biological separation and biological sensors. The magnetic nanoparticles commonly used at present are iron oxide nanoparticles. Studies have proven that iron oxide nanoparticles have a close relationship with stem cell homing, and they are able to carry drugs into a specific target area, promoting bone tissue regeneration and repair. Although initial results have been achieved in the research on iron oxide nanoparticles in promoting bone tissue repair, the mechanism by which iron oxide nanoparticles promote bone healing has not been fully elucidated, and most studies are only limited to basic research. Future basic and clinical studies on the mechanism of iron oxide nanoparticles in promoting bone tissue healing need to be strengthened.