Functionalized magnetic nanoparticles/biopolymer hybrids: Synthesis methods, properties and biomedical applications

Abstract

Abstract Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) are the most extensively used functional nanomaterials as antibacterial agents, and for other biomedical applications due to their unique physical, chemical, magnetic and biocompatibility properties. However, due to their small size, particles tend to aggregate by dipole-dipole interactions between magnetic particles, restricting the type of application they can be used for in precision medicine. Therefore, surface modification on SPIONs is required to enhance their properties and biomedical applications. This review summarizes the different synthesis methodologies for preparing magnetic ferrite nanoparticles, and their functionalization with various biopolymers, physico-chemical, magnetic and biological properties of magnetic ferrite particles-functionalized biopolymers, their applications as antibacterial agents, and as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents uses in clinical diagnostic medicine. Various types of substituted ferrite-based nanoparticles were also showed excellent antibacterial properties against different bacteria such as S. aureus, B. subtilis, E. coli, P. aeruginosa, S. marcescens, M. varians, A. flavus, C. albicans, etc., due to NPs can directly contact with walls of bacterial cells, indue membrane stress by damaging and disrupting cell membranes, and leading to cell death. Antibacterial mechasisms of hybrid magnetic nanoparticles are discussed. Magnetic nanoparticles-based MRI contrast agents show that they can monitor biological process, target them to specific targets in the tissue environment.