Iron oxide nanoparticles for treatment and diagnosis of chronic inflammatory diseases: A systematic review

• Published in: Wiley interdisciplinary reviews. Nanomedicine and nanobiotechnology 2024-05, Vol.16 (3), p.e1963-n/a
• Main Authors: Ansari, Shaquib Rahman, Mahajan, Jessica, Teleki, Alexandra
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alzheimer's disease; Animals; Antineoplastic drugs; Arteriosclerosis; Atherosclerosis; Biomarkers; Biomedical materials; Chemotherapy; Chronic Disease; chronic inflammatory diseases; Disease detection; Drug delivery; Drug development; Drug discovery; Farmaceutisk vetenskap; Health risks; Health services; Heterogeneity; Humans; Hyperthermia; Immunosuppressive agents; Inflammation; Inflammation - diagnosis; Inflammation - drug therapy; Inflammatory bowel diseases; Inflammatory diseases; iron oxide nanoparticles; Iron oxides; Magnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles - chemistry; Magnetic resonance imaging; Medical imaging; Mice; Nanoparticles; Neurodegenerative diseases; Pharmaceutical Science; Pharmacology; Rheumatoid arthritis; Side effects; Systematic review; theranostic; ultrasmall SPIONs
• ISSN: 1939-5116; 1939-0041; 1939-0041
• DOI: 10.1002/wnan.1963

Chronic inflammatory conditions are among the most prevalent diseases worldwide. Several debilitating diseases such as atherosclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and Alzheimer's are linked to chronic inflammation. These conditions often develop into complex and fatal conditions, making early detection and treatment of chronic inflammation crucial. Current diagnostic methods show high variability and do not account for disease heterogeneity and disease‐specific proinflammatory markers, often delaying the disease detection until later stages. Furthermore, existing treatment strategies, including high‐dose anti‐inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs, have significant side effects and an increased risk of infections. In recent years, superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) have shown tremendous biomedical potential. SPIONs can function as imaging modalities for magnetic resonance imaging, and as therapeutic agents due to their magnetic hyperthermia capability. Furthermore, the surface functionalization of SPIONs allows the detection of specific disease biomarkers and targeted drug delivery. This systematic review explores the utility of SPIONs against chronic inflammatory disorders, focusing on their dual role as diagnostic and therapeutic agents. We extracted studies indexed in the Web of Science database from the last 10 years (2013–2023), and applied systematic inclusion criteria. This resulted in a final selection of 38 articles, which were analyzed for nanoparticle characteristics, targeted diseases, in vivo and in vitro models used, and the efficacy of the therapeutic or diagnostic modalities. The results revealed that ultrasmall SPIONs are excellent for imaging arterial and neuronal inflammation. Furthermore, novel therapies using SPIONs loaded with chemotherapeutic drugs show promise in the treatment of inflammatory diseases. This article is categorized under: Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies Diagnostic Tools > In Vivo Nanodiagnostics and Imaging Iron oxide nanoparticles are an emerging tool for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases. Their biocompatibility, unique magnetic properties, and tunable surface chemistry enable lesion imaging, biosensing, external magnetic navigation, and targeted drug delivery.