RESUMO
Cancer is a persistent global disease and a threat to the human species, with numerous cases reported every year. Over recent decades, a steady but slowly increasing mortality rate has been observed. While many attempts have been made using conventional methods alone as a theragnostic strategy, they have yielded very little success. Most of the shortcomings of such conventional methods can be attributed to the high demands of industrial growth and ever-increasing environmental pollution. This requires some high-tech biomedical interventions and other solutions. Thus, researchers have been compelled to explore alternative methods. This has brought much attention to nanotechnology applications, specifically magnetic nanomaterials, as the sole or conjugated theragnostic methods. The exponential growth of nanomaterials with overlapping applications in various fields is due to their potential properties, which depend on the type of synthesis route used. Either top-down or bottom-up strategies synthesize various types of NPs. The top-down only branches out to one method, i.e., physical, and the bottom-up has two methods, chemical and biological syntheses. This review highlights some synthesis techniques, the types of nanoparticle properties each technique produces, and their potential use in the biomedical field, more specifically for cancer. Despite the evident drawbacks, the success achieved in furthering nanoparticle applications to more complex cancer stages and locations is unmatched.
RESUMO
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.
