# Nanosphere

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**Nanospheres** are a type or class of [nanostructure](/source/Nanostructure) consisting of a solid core and matrix made from a [polymeric](/source/Polymer) material—both organic and inorganic are common. They are not necessarily spherical in shape.[1] In a [nanoengineering](/source/Nanoengineering) context, they are generally divided into two categories: magnetic nanospherers and immune nanospheres, and can range from 10 to 200 [nm](/source/Nanometre) in size.[2]

## Structure

Magnetic nanospheres are mostly inorganic and can be manipulated easily using a [magnetic field](/source/Magnetic_field). For their mass, they have very high surface area and [saturation magnetisation](/source/Saturation_(magnetic)). This means they have the potential to be used in a variety of ways, including: [ion exchange](/source/Ion_exchange) separation, drug delivery, targeted [gene therapy](/source/Gene_therapy), and [magnetic resonance imaging](/source/Magnetic_resonance_imaging).[3] They may be hollow and filled with molecules—such as anti-[cancer](/source/Cancer) drugs—for delivery, through a needle or otherwise, into the body.[4] This delivery method can avoid much more invasive surgery and pores in the nanospheres allow them to effectively deliver cells or act as a [microreactor](/source/Microreactor).[5]

Immune nanospheres are designed to induce an [immune response](/source/Immune_response)—both adaptive and innate—by delivering specific nucleotides, such as [CpG oligodeoxynucleotide](/source/CpG_oligodeoxynucleotide), to the body. They may be designed to have enhanced [dispersity](/source/Dispersity) and [solubility](/source/Solubility).[6]

## In nature

Nanospheres are found in the natural world, such as in the [amelogenin](/source/Amelogenin) proteins found in [enamel](/source/Tooth_enamel) in teeth and in [photonic crystals](/source/Photonic_crystal) found in some plants—[edelweiss](/source/Leontopodium_nivale), for example.[7][8]

## References

1. Kaeokhamloed, Legeay & Roger 2022, p. 158.

1. Verma et al. 2017, p. 114.

1. Tai et al. 2011, p. 976.

1. Subramani & Mehta 2018, p. 402.

1. Adki & Kulkarni 2020, p. 13.

1. Zhang et al. 2015, p. 5343.

1. Subramani & Mehta 2018, p. 411.

1. Sun, Bhushan & Tong 2013, p. 14876.

## Bibliography

- Adki, Kaveri M. & Kulkarni, Yogesh A. (2020). ["Chemistry, pharmacokinetics, pharmacology and recent novel drug delivery systems of paeonol"](https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0024320520302927). *Life Sciences*. **250**. [doi:10.1016/j.lfs.2020.117544](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lfs.2020.117544). [ISSN 0024-3205](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0024-3205). [PMID 32179072](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32179072)
- Kaeokhamloed, Norraseth et al. (2022-09-01). ["FRET as the tool for in vivo nanomedicine tracking"](https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S016836592200390X). *Journal of Controlled Release*. **349**: 156–173. [doi:10.1016/j.jconrel.2022.06.048](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2022.06.048). [ISSN 0168-3659](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0168-3659). [PMID 35779657](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35779657)
- Subramani, Karthikeyan et al. (2018), "Chapter 19 - Nanodiagnostics in microbiology and dentistry", *Emerging Nanotechnologies in Dentistry (Second Edition)*, Micro and Nano Technologies, Subramani, Karthikeyan (ed.), William Andrew Publishing, pp. 391–419, [doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-812291-4.00019-4](https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-812291-4.00019-4). ISBN 978-0-12-812291-4. [PMC 7158274](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7158274)
- Sun, Jiyu et al. (2013). ["Structural coloration in nature"](https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2013/ra/c3ra41096j). *RSC Advances*. **3** (35): 14862. [Bibcode:2013RSCAd...314862S](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013RSCAd...314862S). [doi:10.1039/C3RA41096J](https://doi.org/10.1039/C3RA41096J). [ISSN 2046-2069](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/2046-2069)
- Verma, Gaurav et al. (2017), ["Nanoparticles: A Novel Approach to Target Tumors"](https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/B9780323527279000078), *Nano- and Microscale Drug Delivery Systems*, Elsevier, pp. 113–129, [doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-52727-9.00007-8](https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-323-52727-9.00007-8). ISBN 978-0-323-52727-9, retrieved 2025-05-16
- Tai, Yulei et al. (2011). ["Recent research progress on the preparation and application of magnetic nanospheres"](https://scijournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pi.3078). *Polymer International*. **60** (7): 976–994. [doi:10.1002/pi.3078](https://doi.org/10.1002/pi.3078). [ISSN 1097-0126](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/1097-0126)
- Zhang, Huijie et al. (2015-08-24). "Polyethyleneimine-functionalized boron nitride nanospheres as efficient carriers for enhancing the immunostimulatory effect of CpG oligodeoxynucleotides". *International Journal of Nanomedicine*. **10** (1): 5343–5353. [doi:10.2147/IJN.S88774](https://doi.org/10.2147/IJN.S88774). [PMC 4554408](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4554408). [PMID 26346655](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26346655)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Nanosphere](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanosphere) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanosphere?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.