Magnetic Drug Delivery: Where the Field Is Going

Abstract

Targeted delivery of anticancer drugs is considered to be one of the pillars of cancer treatment as it could allow for a better treatment efficiency and less adverse effects. A promising drug delivery approach is magnetic drug targeting which can be realized if a drug delivery vehicle possesses a strong magnetic moment. Here, we discuss different types of magnetic nanomaterials which can be used as magnetic drug delivery vehicles, approaches to magnetic targeted delivery as well as promising strategies for the enhancement of the imaging-guided delivery and the therapeutic action.

Implication of Magnetic Nanoparticles in Cancer Detection, Screening and Treatment

“…Another very popular drug-delivery system is magnetic drug targeting which involves the use of a drug delivery vehicle with magnetism properties that can be manipulated by an EMF. Both these strategies decrease the side effects caused by antineoplastic systemic treatment [6]. Most of the MNPs used in biomedical applications are the so-called SPIONs consisting of one or multiple magnetite or maghemite cores and with biocompatible shell functionalized with various modifiers.…”

“…Even though the concept of magnetic drug delivery was used for the first time in the 1980s [6], and the first clinical cancer therapy trials in humans using magnetic microspheres filled with 4-epidoxorubcin was reported in Germany in the 1990s (being about the treatment of advanced solid liver cancer in 14 patients) [84], the development of the domain has been achieved especially in the last 10 years after the development of stronger magnets and sophisticated magnetic probes, namely the theranostic probes that allow the combination of diagnostic and treatment. In this case, the diagnostic could be achieved through MRI or magnetic particle imaging, while the therapy could be realized by approaches such as hyperthermia, drug release or magneto-drug delivery [6].…”

“…All these individual strategies are used in oncology, but the best therapeutic effect is usually assured by combining them since the modular design enables MNPs to perform multiple functions simultaneously. For example, MRI ( Figure 1A) could be applied for early diagnosis of cancer, thus the individualized treatment (chemotherapy) may be combined with MRI, in order to achieve better and faster results [3][4][5][6].…”

“…As already mentioned, a great advantage of MNPs is their small size, which is less or comparable to biological entities ranging from several nanometers in the case of genes and proteins, to hundreds of nanometers (viruses) up to 100 µm (cells). Such small dimensions allow for their good diffusion and distribution in tissues exactly or in the vicinity of the targeted sites [6]. Moreover, various processes to improve the magnetic properties of MNPs as well as to predict their in vivo behavior could be adjusted by modulating parameters such as size, composition, morphology or surface functionalization [5].…”

Clustering of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles with Amphiphilic Invertible Polymer Enhances Uptake and Release of Drugs and MRI Properties

“…A promising application of magnetic NPs is as drug carriers for so‐called magnetic drug delivery . The idea is to conjugate magnetic NPs to the drug molecules or to fill NP shells with a drug in order to guide them to a chosen site under an applied magnetic field . These delivery vehicles can be held at a desired location until the therapy is finished and then finally removed by turning the magnetic field off.…”