Applications of Superparamagnetic Materials in Drug Delivery Toward Cancer Therapy

Superparamagnetic nanomaterials are very important and extensively studied for various biomedical applications, especially in therapy and diagnosis. More specifically, they have received great attention as nanocarriers for drug delivery applications for cancer therapy due to their unique physio-chemical properties and excellent biocompatibility as well as biodegradability. Besides, other types of nanoparticles, superparamagnetic nanoparticles (SPMNPs) with suitable surface ligands have engrossed a great deal of attention in cancer treatment. Owing to high magnetization and surface-to-volume ratio, SPMNPs can be employed at the desired site of tumors by applying an external magnetic field, and consequently enhance the release of drug molecules with high efficiency. This chapter aims to provide a detailed study on SPMNPs, focusing on their fundamental properties and surface chemistry required for biomedical applications. This chapter also covers the recent advances in the development of SPMNPs together with their possibilities and limitations in drug delivery. Furthermore, we have discussed the effects of the sizes, shapes, and surface modification with the principle of passive and active drug targeting and stimuli-responsive drug release systems, i.e., pH-responsive, temperature/thermal-responsive, enzymatic-responsive, and redox-responsive drug release systems.