Smart Nanometals: An Approach to Transform Brain Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy

Cancer is responsible for a great proportion of deaths globally and requires urgent attention. Even with the most recent advanced technologies in diagnosis and interventions, the management and cure of cancer patients are limited. However, novel drug delivery tools with innovative technologies have been shown to deliver chemotherapeutics to cancer cells with minimal interaction with healthy cells. Among them, metallic nanoparticles (MNPs) such as gold, silver, copper oxide, and iron oxide have garnered attention owing to their higher surface area-to-volume ratio, multifunctionality, and tunable optical characteristics, making them suitable for therapeutic, diagnostic, and theranostic purposes in brain carcinoma. It has also been demonstrated that MNPs can maintain significant therapeutic concentrations in target cells through site-specific and continued release. Due to their immense potential, the current review focused on exploring MNPs for improved diagnosis and management of brain tumors. Specifically, this review aimed to understand the interaction of MNPs with the brain tumor microenvironment to overcome impediments such as the blood-brain barrier, efflux pump presence, and the invasive nature of brain tumors. Additionally, the regulatory aspects, existing gaps in research, toxicity concerns, and remediation strategies were addressed to replace traditionally available brain cancer treatment strategies.