Current Status of Magnetite-Based Core@Shell Structures for Diagnosis and Therapy in Oncology Short running title:...

Superparamagnetic iron oxides, as magnetite (Fe3O4) or maghemite (γ-Fe2O3), are primary materials with intrinsic properties that enable them, as single components or as special composites, to base advanced techniques in medical clinical practices, as a contrast agent in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as magnetically-induced hyperthermic heat generator, and as a magnetic guide to locally deliver drugs to specific sites in the human body. An interesting approach to developing nanoplatforms for those applications consists in manufacturing core@shell nanostructures, in which the precursor magnetic iron oxide (usually, magnetite) acts as a core, and an organic, or inorganic compound is used as a shell in a multifunctional composite. In this review, we report the current advances in the use of magnetite-based core@shell nanostructures, including Fe3O4@SiO2 and Fe3O4@polymers, in MRI, magnetic hyperthermia and drug delivery systems for diagnosis and therapy of tumor cells. The development of nanoplatforms for combined therapy and diagnostic (theranostic) is also addressed.