Magnetic lipid-based nanoparticles: recent advances in therapeutic applications

Abstract

In the realm of modern medicine, the pursuit of innovative solutions to enhance therapeutic applications has led to the exploration of cutting-edge technologies. The convergence of nanotechnology and medicine has marked a new era, where the scale of interventions has shifted to the molecular level. Nanoparticles with their ability to navigate through biological barriers, coupled with the potential for targeted delivery, have sparked enthusiasm within the scientific community. Among the existing nanoparticles, magnetic lipid-based nanoparticles have emerged as a promising platform, offering a unique combination of versatility and precision as drug delivery systems.

This chapter aims to provide a comprehensive exploration of the multifaceted roles played by magnetic lipid-based nanoparticles in therapeutic applications. As we go across the subsections, readers are first introduced to the two major components that compose these nanosystems, namely magnetic and lipid-based nanoparticles, aiming to provide readers insight into the properties and most significant therapeutic applications of these nanoparticles to impart an enhanced comprehension of the magnetic lipid-based nanoparticles. As we navigate through the pages that follow, we invite readers to foster a deeper understanding of the pivotal role played by these nanoparticles in the evolution of therapeutic applications.

Conventional drug administration encounters several issues that nanomedicine has been seeking to overcome. Nanoparticles play a major role in addressing this problem. Among the already known nanostructures, magnetic nanoparticles offer unique properties from remote control of the particles through an external magnetic field to the production of local heating for therapeutic applications. Combining these outstanding nanoparticles within biocompatible and stable nanocarriers like lipid-based nanoparticles, it is possible to obtain a multifunctional nanoplatform. In this chapter, an overview of magnetic nanoparticles' properties and therapeutic applications is provided as well as of the different types of lipid-based nanoparticles, namely liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs), and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs). The recent therapeutic applications of magnetic lipid-based nanoparticles (magnetoliposomes, magnetic SLNs, and NLCs) are discussed.