Iron Oxide-Based Nanoparticles in Modern Antimicrobial and Antiviral Applications

Iron oxide nanoparticles are the most studied material approved by the Food and Drug Administration. At specific diameters (from 15 nm and no more than 100 nm), magnetic iron oxide, which is made up of magnetite, is used as drug delivery vehicles and for thermal-based therapeutics. This material can be efficiently used in biomedical applications such as diagnostics, imaging, and photothermal therapies. Properties such as biocompatibility and stability of nanoparticles fill the niche of applications that require properties unattainable by organic materials. The application of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) acts as an advanced platform for antimicrobial, drug delivery, contrast agent in image diagnostics and hyperthermia treatment for cancer applications. Iron oxide nanoparticles are attributed to their exceptional properties, such as size, shape, magnetism, and biocompatibility. Iron oxide nanoparticles hold potent antibacterial activity against various gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. In this chapter, iron oxide nanoparticles are exploited in different model organisms ranging from prokaryotes to eukaryotes, elucidating their cellular functions relative to their antibacterial activity, drug delivery, and toxicity. Current knowledge reveals that the comprehensive research can provide significant study parameters and recent developments in the nanomedicine field. Magnetic nanoparticles for biological applications are seeing a significant increase in research and development in recent years.