Biomedical applications of mammalian, bacterial, and archaeal ferritins - Targeted drug delivery and beyond

Abstract

Fascination by ferritins has endured for almost a hundred years. While primary function of ferritins is the detoxification of the organism, their unique physical and chemical properties provide vast potential for exploiting them as a multifunctional nanomedicinal platform. This platform can be utilized for diagnostics, targeted therapy, vaccination or even as nanozyme or nanoreactor. In this review, we aim on thorough description of biological and biophysical properties of ferritins, their behavior in in vivo system and their use in a broad spectrum of up-to-date nanomedicinal applications. In addition, to complement the story, we also address the role of ferritins in physiological and pathological processes, with a special emphasis on cancer. Majority of ferritin-based nanomedicines utilize human recombinant ferritins or native horse spleen ferritin. However, in this review, we also discuss bacterial and archaeal ferritins that differ in their biophysical and structural features, thus offering new interesting venues for further engineering toward novel advanced nanoformulations.