Biological properties, therapeutic and diagnostic applications of Samarium and Samarium nanoparticles

Lanthanides are a family of elements, commonly known as rare earth elements. Metal samarium as one of the most important member of this family, which plays very important roles in the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases, especially cancer. Several lanthanide complexes, samarium in particular, have shown anticancer effects on tumor cells. This paper is tried to review the biological properties and applications of Samarium salt and Samarium nanoparticles. Samarium is also used for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) due to its paramagnetic properties. Samarium-containing compounds have also been used in osteoblastic metastases radiotherapy, a causative agent of cancer-induced bone pain, as an effective treatment agent for the treatment of bone marrow cancer, for drug delivery in patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohnchr('39')s disease, as a tracer in the drug delivery system in colon, as a therapeutic agent in patients with prostate and breast cancers, in radiotherapy of malignant liver cancer, and many other therapeutic and diagnostic applications. Antimicrobial (anti-bacterial and fungal) properties have also been observed in Samarium nanoparticles. According to excellent properties of samarium nanoparticle, it might be suggested that in future, the new drug delivery systems or diagnostic systems will be designed for treatment of various diseases