Iron Oxide-Based Magnetic Nanoparticles: Magnetic Properties and applications in Medicine

Iron oxide-based nanoparticles (NPs), such as magnetite and maghemite, are highly prominent in various scientific fields, including medicine. For decades, they have been used for iron supplementation in patients with anemia, as contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in the delivery of therapeutic agents mediated or not by magnetic field gradients, and in photo- and magneto-stimulated thermal therapies, among other applications. In this article, we present their magnetic properties. We briefly discuss their ferrimagnetic ordering, the importance of magnetic anisotropy and its relation to magnetic hysteresis (Stoner-Wohlfarth model), and the superparamagnetic regime. The differences between superparamagnetism and paramagnetism are emphasized, as well as the importance of the colloidal stability of these nanostructures for biomedical applications. Finally, various biomedical applications are discussed, including magnetic hyperthermia, photothermal therapy, immunotherapy, and a new imaging technique with clinical potential known as Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI).

Keywords:
Nanoparticles; Magnetic Nanoparticles; Superparamagnetism; Nanomedicine; SPION