Iron Oxide Nanoparticles in Bioimaging – An Immune Perspective

Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) bear big hopes in nanomedicine due to their (potential) applications in tumor therapy, drug delivery or bioimaging. However, as foreign entities, such particles may be recognized by the immune system and, thus, lead to inflammation, hypersensitivity or anaphylactic shock. In addition, an overload with iron is known to cause oxidative stress. In this short review, we summarize the biological effects of such particles with a major focus on IONP-formulations used for bioimaging purposes and their effects on the human immune system. We conclude that especially the characteristics of the particles (size, shape, surface charge, coating, etc.) as well as the presence of bystander substances, such as bacterial endotoxin are important factors determining the resulting biological and immunological effects of IONPs. Further studies are needed in order to establish clear structure-activity relationships.