Title:Cobalt Ferrite Nanoparticle’s Safety in Biomedical and Agricultural
Applications: A Review of Recent Progress
Volume: 30
Issue: 15
Author(s): Md Salman Shakil*, Md Simul Bhuiya, Md Reaz Morshed, Golap Babu, Mahruba Sultana Niloy, Md Sakib Hossen and Md Asiful Islam*
Affiliation:
- Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Brac University, 66 Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, University of Otago, 362 Leith St, North Dunedin, Dunedin
9016, New Zealand
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research,
University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
Keywords:
Cobalt ferrite nanoparticles, theranostic agent, biological systems, biocompatibility, toxicological outcomes, cytotoxicity.
Abstract: Cobalt ferrite nanoparticles (CFN) have drawn attention as a theranostic agent.
Unique physicochemical features of CFN and magnetic properties make CFN an outstanding
candidate for biomedical, agricultural, and environmental applications. The extensive
use of CFN may result in intentional inoculation of humans for disease diagnosis and
therapeutic purposes or unintentional penetration of CFN via inhalation, ingestion, adsorption,
or other means. Therefore, understanding the potential cytotoxicity of CFN may pave
the way for their future biomedical and agricultural applications. This review scrutinized
CFN biocompatibility, possible effects, and cytotoxic mechanisms in different biological
systems. Literature indicates CFN toxicity is linked with their size, synthesizing methods,
coating materials, exposure time, route of administration, and test concentrations. Some in
vitro cytotoxicity tests showed misleading results of CFN potency; this might be due to
the interaction of CFN with cytotoxicity assay regents. To date, published research indicates
that the biocompatibility of CFN outweighed its cytotoxic effects in plant or animal
models, but the opposite outcomes were observed in aquatic Zebrafish.
