| Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles due to their small size, low toxicity and superparamagnetic characteristics, have
caused a bio-chemical, pharmaceutical industry research attention. Biodegradable polymer materials which have been widely used for
surgical sutures, implant materials and drug delivery carrier is one of the most attractive fields in biomedical polymers. Compositing the
Fe3O4 and biodegradable polymer together can expand the scope of application of both, to achieve the desired therapeutic effect, and is
expected to create a new era of clinical treatment. The chemical preparation methods of Fe3O4, including co-precipitation method, sol-gel
method and microemulsion method, are introduced in this paper and the advantages and disadvantages of each method are also
compared; the preparation of several biodegradable composite materials mainly magnetic chitosan, magnetic PLA, magnetic PEG,
magnetic PCL, and their applications in medical fields such as immobilization of the enzyme, magnetic drug targeting, and gene carrier,
are also summarized, showing a broad application prospects of the Fe3O4/biodegradable composite materials in the field of medicine;
finally, the problems faced in the clinical application of composite materials and development trends of Fe3O4/biodegradable composite
materials are also discussed. |
