Nanoparticle-mediated magnetic hyperthermia in the treatment of neurological disorders

Neurological disorders including gliomas and neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by dysregulation of the central nerve system (CNS). Despite recent advances in disease-modifying treatments, pharmacological approaches for neurological disorders still face limitations due to the complexity of these diseases and the challenges in targeting the underlying mechanisms. Magnetic hyperthermia, an approach that utilizes magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) to generate localized heat in target cells and tissues by responding to an alternating magnetic field (AMF), has been developed as a non-pharmacological treatment approach for targeting tumor cells or pathogens, primarily through thermal inactivation. Recently, beyond its traditional application in thermal therapies, magnetic hyperthermia has been increasingly explored for neurological diseases. Importantly, recent studies demonstrate the ability of magnetic hyperthermia in eliciting various biological effects by means of triggering heat shock protein (HSP) signaling, enhancing immune responses, and activating heat-sensitive ion channels in neurons. This review highlights the current understanding of magnetic hyperthermia in stimulating molecular and cellular effects on brain tissue and further discusses its potential in the treatment of neurological disorders including Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), Alzheimer's Disease (AD), Parkinson's Disease (PD). The studies discussed in this review were selected by using the search tool on PubMed with the suggested key words.