Utilization of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) as a vector for drug delivery

Abstract

Many available chemotherapeutic methods are faced with multiple challenges that range from therapeutic failure to detrimental adverse or toxicity effects. Most of the drugs have low efficacy due to low capability to target specific diseased tissues, minimal biocompatibility and low bioavailability. As a result, they are burden to patients by inducing drug resistance, economic losses and even death. The discovery and utilization of nano-based drug carriers such as superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) in drug delivery system (DDS) has been a great achievement for overcoming the pre-existing challenges. After properly coated and appropriately functionalized, they exhibit extensive drug-loading capacity and are able to be circulated in the blood stream without causing immune provocation before achieving the desired therapeutic effects by delivering drug specifically to the targeted site. Furthermore, they can be remotely controlled to release drugs using appropriate stimuli. Therefore, this review has explained important aspects about the utilization of SPIONs as a novel nano-vector for DDS, focusing on their post-synthetic surface modification, functionalization, drug loading and release. This work is potential as it provides a framework into the applications of SPIONs in theranostics of challenging diseases such as cancer by laying down the basic principles of SPION applications in biomedical field.