Zeolites for theranostic applications
Mohsen Khodadadi Yazdi, Payam Zarrintaj, Hadi Hosseiniamoli, Amin Hamed Mashhadzadeh, Mohammad Reza Saeb, Joshua D. Ramsey, Mohammad Reza Ganjali, Masoud Mozafari
Abstract
Theranostic platforms bring about a revolution in disease management. During recent years, theranostic nanoparticles have been utilized for imaging and therapy simultaneously. Zeolites, because of their porous structure and tunable properties, which can be modified with various materials, can be used as a delivery agent. The porous structure of a zeolite enables it to be loaded and unloaded with various molecules such as therapeutic agents, photosensitizers, biological macromolecules, MRI contrast agents, radiopharmaceuticals, near-infrared (NIR) fluorophores, and microbubbles. Furthermore, theranostic zeolite nanocarriers can be further modified with targeting ligands, which is highly interesting for targeted cancer therapies.