REVIEW article
Front. Chem.
Sec. Nanoscience
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fchem.2025.1605538
This article is part of the Research TopicMagnetic Nanoparticles for Biomedical Imaging and Therapy ApplicationsView all 4 articles
Organic Functionality in Responsive Paramagnetic Nanostructures
Provisionally accepted
- University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become an invaluable tool for diagnosing and monitoring a range of medical conditions, including cancer and cardiovascular disease, owing, in large part, to its high spatial resolution. Despite this, MRI suffers from an inherent low sensitivity, a drawback that can be mitigated through the use of exogenous contrast agents. Although molecular paramagnetic contrast agents are most commonly used, they suffer from significant limitations, including short circulation times, inadequate sensitivity, moderate (or no) tissue specificity, and potential toxicity. Recent advancements in nanomaterials research have paved the way for the development of paramagnetic nanoplatforms offering a promising alternative to these traditional chelates. Responsive contrast agents have gained attention due to their ability to generate local contrast in areas of particular interest, enabling the potential for disease-specific reporting where environmental factors including pH, ion concentration and biomolecule activity deviate from the norm. In addition to this, the generation of local or locality-specific contrast can help to overcome the intrinsic nonspecific nature of traditional contrast agents allowing for overall better treatment options. Purely organic nanoparticles, including those which are micellar, liposomal or dendritic and inorganic-polymer hybrids, can support step changes in MRI signal generation and its diagnostic potency by leveraging the specific and responsive characteristics of the organic components. This review seeks to illustrate how the integration of organic chemistry into magnetic nanostructures can enable responsive high-contrast generation.
Keywords: MRI, Nanoparticles, Polymers, responsive, Organic
Received: 03 Apr 2025; Accepted: 23 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Davis, Duncan, Ellis, Smith, Leutloff and Langton. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jason Davis, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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