A Review of Recent Advances in Iron Oxide Nanoparticles as a Magnetic Agent in Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

Aims In recent years, iron oxide nanoparticles have shown incredible possibilities in biomedical applications due to their non-toxic function in biological systems. Furthermore, these nanoparticles have multifunctional applications, such as antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer effects in medicine due to their magnetic properties.  Methods & Materials In this article, 49 articles related to iron oxide nanoparticles and their wide applications in medicine and biotechnology were collected from 1998 to 2022 through article search databases from Google Scholar, Pubmed, and Scopus. Findings Iron oxide nanoparticles are not only used as antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer agents but also they can be functionalized with different molecules and used to treat and diagnose cancer. Due to the adverse effects of some of these molecules, phytochemicals of plant extracts are used today as an alternative to functionalize these nanoparticles. The main advantage of iron oxide nanoparticles is the appropriate bio-distribution in the biological sample compared to other drug delivery systems. The magnetic properties of iron oxide nanoparticles in hyperthermia and contrast media in magnetic resonance imaging have attracted the attention of many researchers. Conclusion Iron oxide nanoparticles can be effective in targeted treatment and diagnosis in biomedicine. To improve anticancer and antimicrobial therapies, researchers have used these nanoparticles with different approaches. Considering the wide applications and results of iron oxide nanoparticles in medicine, this review article has been written to discuss the methods of synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles, the types of coatings used to functionalize them, and the different applications in cancer treatment and diagnosis.