Table 1.

Recent animal studies with variety of iron containing nanoparticles for cancer therapy by altering cellular redox homeostasis.

Tumor Type	Animal Tumor Model	Type of Nanoparticles	Reported Therapy	Effect	Ref.
Breast cancer	Breast tumor xenograft mouse model	RLR nanoparticle composed of Fe3O4 nanoparticles and a nanoflower-like MnO2 shell	Chemodynamic therapy	Nanoparticles are degraded under acidic environment and excessive GSH yielding accelerated ROS production and tumoricidal effect.	[64]
Breast cancer	4T1 tumor-bearing mice	Fe3O4-Pd Janus nanoparticles (JNPs)	Simultaneous magnetic-photo hyperthermia and chemodynamic therapy	Dual exposure of nanoparticles to AMF and laser irradiation induces enhanced temperature and ROS generation that are via Fenton reaction converted to OH●.	[77]
Breast cancer	4T1 tumor-bearing mice	α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles coated with ultrasmall gold nanoseeds	Magnetic resonance imaging, photothermal therapy and radiosensitization	Upon NIR irradiation nanoparticles showed enhanced photothermal therapy and sensitized radiotherapy by inducing ROS formation and tumor inhibition.	[66]
Breast cancer	4T1 tumor-bearing mice	Ultrasmall PEG-modified polydopamine nanoparticles containing Fe2+/3+	Chemotherapy, Ferroptosis therapy	Fe2+ containing nanoparticles induce ROS dependent ferroptosis while Fe2+ containing nanoparticles induce lipid peroxidation-dependent ferroptosis.	[73]
Breast cancer	4T1 tumor-bearing mice	Nanoparticles porphyrin-based metal–organic framework and MnFe2O4 nanoparticles as the nanoenzyme	Enhanced Photodynamic Therapy	Nanodevice exhibits catalase-like and GPX-like activity, In the tumor, upon irradiation, continuously promotes ROS formation via Fenton reaction, and reduces GSH modulating tumor microenvironment.	[78]
Breast cancer	4T1 tumor-bearing mice	Silica nanoparticles with MnO2 nanoparticles and FeCO	Synergistic Gas therapy (GT) and chemodynamic therapy (CDT)	Under acidic environment MnO2 promotes ROS that further triggers decomposition of FeCO into CO.	[79]
Breast cancer	MCF-7 tumor-bearing mice	Nanogel loaded with magnetic IONPs and 10-hydroxy camptothecin	Enhanced photothermal-chemotherapy	Nanogel represents a good anticancer drug delivery system and can also serve as nanocarrier for photothermal therapy due to its absorption at NIR region. Furthermore, magnetic IONPs in the presence of macrophages promote ROS formation.	[80]
Breast cancer	4T1 tumor-bearing mice	Nanosystem containing Fe(OH)3 modified upconversion nanoparticles	Synergetic chemo- and photodynamic therapy	INR irradiation promotes ROS formation in cancer cells.	[81]
Breast cancer	4T1 tumor-bearing mice	IONPs modified with glucose oxidase and polydopamine	Photothermal therapy	NIR irradiation induces heat generation and formation of H2O2. H2O2 is then via Fenton reaction converted to OH● inducing apoptosis of cancer cells.	[82]
Breast cancer	4T1 tumor-bearing mice	ROS nanoreactor based on core-shell-structured iron carbide nanoparticles	Magnetic Resonance Imaging Guided Cancer Therapy	In the acidic tumor microenvironment Fe2+ are released in acidic environments where, via Fenton reaction, generate OH● and inhibit tumor.	[83]
Breast cancer	4T1 tumor-bearing mice	FeOOH nanoparticles coated with poly(norepinephrine) and loaded with artemisinin (Art)	Photothermal-chemical combination therapy	Exposure to NIR promotes heat generation and synchronous release of iron ions and Art in the acidic tumor microenvironment promotes generation of ROS and subsequent generation of OH● via Fenton reaction having high toxicity for tumor and low for normal tissue.	[84]
Breast cancer	4T1 tumor-bearing mice	Mitochondrial membrane targeted nanophotosensitizer complex containing SPION and sorafenib	Ferroptosis as cancer therapy	Activated nanoparticles consume GSH, induce excessive ROS production and release SPION and sorafenib, promoting ferroptosis. Efficacy was also shown for the drug resistant in vitro model.	[43]
Breast cancer	4T1 tumor-bearing mice	Mitochondrial membrane targeted nanophotosensitizer complex containing magnetic IONPs and sorafenib	Ferroptosis as cancer therapy	Activated nanoparticles downregulate GPX-4 and xCT inducing ferroptosis.	[44]
ER+ breast cancer	MCF7 tumor xenograft model Balbc	Drug-organics-inorganics self-assembled (DFTA) nanosystem with DOX, FeCl3 and tannic acid	Chemotherapy, Photothermal therapy and Ferroptosis therapy	Photothermal excitation triggers DOX release, activates SOD-like reaction and reduces GSH through excessive ROS production.	[72]
Glioma	Ectopic glioma tumor-bearing mice	Fe3O4-IR806 superparticles	Photothermal-photodynamic therapy	Photothermal conversion efficacy upon NIR irradiation was enhanced and promoted excessive ROS formation exhibiting tumor toxicity.	[85]
Hepato-cellular carcinoma	H22-tumor bearing mice and HepG2 tumor-bearing nude mice	Nanozymes containing Fe-metal organic framework nanoparticles	Microwave enhancing dynamic therapy, Microwave thermal therapy	Microwave irradiation promotes excessive ROS formation, in particular OH●, inducing cell death. In the presence of gold nanoclusters, the same can have application in imaging and microwave thermal therapy.	[76]
Hepato-cellular carcinoma	H22-tumor bearing mice and HepG2 tumor-bearing nude mice	PEG-modified nanoparticles loaded with photosensitizer and MnFe2O4 and silica upconversion nanoparticles	Photodynamic therapy	Loading efficiency of photosensitizer is increased NIR irradiation activates luminescence form upconversion nanoparticles yielding activation of photosensitizer and consequent ROS formation that take part in Fenton reaction eliciting tumoricidal effect.	[46]
Lung adenocarcima	A549 tumor-bearing nude mice	Modified IONPs with β-lapachone encapsulated in the nanostructure formed by H2O2-responsive polyprodrug and pH-responsive polymer (LaCIONPs)	Chemo/chemodynamic combination therapy	Acidic environment of tumor cells triggers LaCIONPs decomposition triggering excessive H2O2. H2O2 further via Fenton reaction produces OH● and also activates the release of drug eliciting tumoricidal effect.	[86]
Prostatic cancer	PC3 tumor-bearing nude mice	γ-Fe2O3 with copper sulfide shell	Photothermal Therapy, Magnetic Hyperthermia and Photodynamic Therapy	NIR exposure and magnetic stimulation promotes heat generation and ROS formation with tumoricidal effects.	[68]