Shaping Magnetic Hyperthermia Properties through Nanoparticle Surface-Ligand Design: Implications for Cellular Responses.

Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles have attracted increasing attention for their potential use in biomedicine over the last few decades. Their inherent characteristics have enabled novel therapeutic approaches such as magnetic hyperthermia. To maximize the therapeutic efficacy, several research efforts have been focused on the optimization of these nanoparticles in terms of their size, morphology, and crystal structure etc. However, no consensus has been reached regarding the optimal surface design. To gain deeper insight into this complex phenomenon, the influence of a variety of surface ligands on the magnetic, hyperthermic, and colloidal behaviors of the magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, along with their influence on cellular viability, is investigated. The results revealed that the molecular structure of the ligands, including both the anchoring group and molecular chain, plays a critical role in determining the above-mentioned properties and performance. This work lays the groundwork for surface engineering of magnetic nanoparticles, emphasizing the need to consider the magneto-hyperthermic performance, colloidal stabilities, and the cellular interactions as interconnected factors that critically influence their clinical applicability.