Central Bringing Excellence in Open Access   JSM Nanotechnology & Nanomedicine Cite this article: Sukumaran S, Neelakandan MS, Shaji N, Prasad P, Yadunath VK (2018) Magnetic Nanoparticles: Synthesis and Potential Biological Applica- tions. JSM Nanotechnol Nanomed 6(2): 1068. *Corresponding author Sunija Sukuma ra n, Inte rna tio na l a nd Inte r Unive rsity C e nte r fo r Na no sc ie nc e a nd Na no te c hno lo g y, Ma ha tma G a nd hi Unive rsity, Ko tta ya m, Ke ra la , Ind ia , Ema il: Submitte d: 02 June 2018 Accepted: 29 June 2018 Publishe d: 30 June 2018 ISSN: 2334-1815 Copyright © 2018 Sukumaran e t al. OPEN ACCESS Ke ywo rds • Ma g ne tic na no p a rtic le s • Magnetic feld • Na no sc a le Research Article Magnetic Nanoparticles: Synthesis and Potential Biological Applications Sunija Sukumaran*, Neelakandan MS, Nitheesha Shaji, Parvathy Prasad, and Yadunath VK International and Inter University Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Mahatma Gandhi University, India Abstract Nanoparticles have a potential impact on numerous biomedical applications. Various synthesis roots and a wide range of applications in the area of bioimaging, drug delivery biosensing, nanomedicine and Magnetic Fluid Hyperthermia (MFH) makes magnetic nanoparticles as an attractive material for bioresearch. Magnetic nanoparticles are a group of nanoparticles that can be infuenced using a magnetic feld. In recent time these group of particles has been the focus of more research since they have remarkable properties. In nanoscale phenomena of fnite size and surface, effects start to dominate the magnetic behaviour of individual nanoparticles. Because of the widespread applications of magnetic nanoparticles [MNPs], in this context, we discuss methods of magnetic nanoparticle synthesis in the frst part followed by the role of magnetic nanoparticles in different biomedical applications. INTRODUCTION Nowadays nanotechnology is very important for the advancement of science since it makes use of the manipulation of matter on a scale in which materials show different characteristics than those displayed in the micro and macro scale [1]. These properties changes are attributed to the large increase in surface area in relation to the volume. The outstanding characteristics of nanomaterials, when compared with their bulk counterparts, offer a very promising future for their use wide range of application. Magnetic nanoparticles possess significant novel phenomena like superparamagnetism, high field irreversibility, high saturation field, extra anisotropy contributions or shifted loops after field cooling. These phenomena are due to the finite size and surface effects that control the magnetic behaviour of individual nanoparticles. So these groups of nanoparticles have been used in the field of biotechnology, biomedicine,material science, engineering and environmental areas [2-4]. In this context, magnetic nanomaterials, such as iron oxide, magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 ) have been applied to various fields such as drug carriers and contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging [5,6]. For this application, certain parameters must be controlled during the synthesis, such as the size and shape of the nanoparticles [5]. The control of the size, as well as size distribution, is necessary because allows the control of the material’s properties such as superparamagnetism and hyperthermia [6]. Depending on its size, iron oxides particles present different behaviours when an external magnetic field is applied. It is known that abrupt changes in magnetic properties occur when the particle size is reduced from micrometre scale to the nanometer. In nanoscale phenomena of finite size and surface, effects start to dominate the magnetic behaviour of individual nanoparticles [7]. Frenkel & Dorfman [5], were the first to suggest that particles of ferromagnetic material below a critical particle size (less than 15 nm for common materials) would consist of magnetic monodomains, presenting a uniform magnetization state at any field. The magnetic behaviour of these particles above a certain temperature, the blocking temperature (TB), is the same of the paramagnetic particles, except that a large magnetic moment and consequently, susceptibility are presented. For biomedical applications, nanoparticles that exhibit superparamagnetic behaviour at body temperature (TB under the human’s body temperature) are the most studied because of the absence of magnetic resonance and present a fast change in the magnetic state in the presence of an external magnetic field [8]. Concerning the particle shape, ellipsoid-shaped nanoparticles (elongated) are more cytotoxic than those with a spherical shape. The human monocytes produce a number of inflammatory cytokines in the presence of ellipsoid nanoparticles inside the body. So for the transport and delivery of drugsinto the specific target sites spherical form of nanoparticles are more suitable than other forms, such as hexagonal and cubic [9-11].