Ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for enhanced tumor penetration.

The intrinsic pathological characteristics of tumor microenvironments restrict the deep penetration of nanomedicines by passive diffusion. Magnetophoresis is a promising strategy to improve the tumor penetration of nanomedicines aided by the external magnetic propulsive force. However, the research thus far has been focused on large nanoparticles, while ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (FeO) nanoparticles (<∼20 nm) exhibit better performance in many applications such as cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Layered double hydroxide nanostructures and nanocomposites for biomedical applications.

Layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanostructures and related nanocomposites have attracted significant interest in biomedical applications including cancer therapy, bioimaging and antibacterial treatment. These materials hold great advantages including low cost and facile preparation, convenient drug loading, high drug incorporation capacity, good biocompatibility, efficient intracellular uptake and endosome/lysosome escape, and natural biodegradability in an acidic environment. In this review, we summarize the development of three types of LDH nanostructures including pristine LDH, surface modified LDH, and LDH nanocomposites for a range of biomedical applications.