Nanomaterials for diagnosis and treatment of brain cancer

Abstract

Nanomaterials have shown significant promise in the diagnosis and treatment of brain cancer. These materials, because of their distinct physical and chemical properties, can be engineered to target specific molecules and tissues in the brain, making them useful in early diagnosis and targeted drug delivery. As a result, nanostructures with high specificity, such as metallic nanostructures, silica nano-vehicles, quantum dots, lipid nanoparticles (NPs), and polymeric NPs, can permeate the BBB. However, there are still some limitations to their use in the treatment of brain cancer, including toxicity, clearance, and stability. Despite these limitations, nanomaterials have been developed for a variety of purposes in the treatment of brain cancer, including drug delivery, imaging, photodynamic therapy, and hyperthermia. Nanoparticles can be designed to encapsulate therapeutic drugs and deliver them directly to brain cancer cells, potentially improving their efficacy and reducing toxicity to normal cells. This review provides a comprehensive overview of nanomaterials used for the treatment and diagnosis of brain cancer. This paper focuses on the application of liposomes, nanomicelles, dendrimers, carbon nanotubes, gold, silver nanoparticles.