SPIONs as Nano-Theranostics Agents

With a rapid growth in different fields of science and technology, hopes for further improvement of human life were developed; among them is progress in medicine, which is directly linked with human health. A lot of researches have been conducted specifically for improving the current modalities of diagnosis and treatment of various diseases, especially cancer. Among them is the application of nanotechnology in the field of medicine, which is known as nanomedicine that can develop new therapeutic and diagnostic concepts in all areas of medicine. Nano-theranostics, which is based on the fusion of therapeutic and diagnostic technologies by using nanoparticles, is one of the newest approaches in this field and finally leads to individualized medicine. Magnetic nanoparticle with properties such as good biocompatibility and the ability of surface engineering could be considered as a candidate for theranostic application; briefly it not only could act as a carrier for drugs in drug delivery systems but also could act as therapeutic agent in hyperthermia. Moreover, it could be used as a contrast agent in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or could carry imaging agent on its surface. The ability of surface modification makes it possible to transmit engineered nanoparticles to the target organs and reduce side effects of drugs on the other organs; although in this situation external magnetic field could be used for targeting either. These features made us to study the ability of magnetic nanoparticle as a nanotheranostic agent in detail. In summary, in this context we try to introduce magnetic nanoparticle, different approaches that are be used for its synthesis, its applications in the field of treatment and diagnostic and finally its usage as a nanotheranostic agent.