Nanocatalytic medicine of iron-based nanocatalysts

Iron can be found in all mammalian cells and is of critical significance to diverse cellular activities within human bodies. Widespread applications and the underlying chemical and biological fundamental explorations of iron-based nanomaterials, especially on the biomedical frontiers, have attracted growing interests most recently in the community. In this review, we focus on the catalytic performance of iron-based nanomaterials (termed as nanocatalysts, abbreviated as NCs) and their nanocatalytic biomedical applications in Fenton nanocatalytic therapeutics, nanocatalytic oxygenation-enabled therapeutics, and nanocatalytic peroxidation-enabled biodetections. Fabrication methodologies of the iron-based NCs are also summarized along with their applications. Representative therapeutic performance against malignant tumors, Alzheimer’s disease (and other pathological abnormalities), and nanocatalytic-based biodetection are discussed. Finally, future development prospects of the iron-based NCs are surveyed, aiming to deliver a brighter future for iron-based NCs in nanocatalytic medicine.