Research Progress on Application of Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles in Medicine

Cerium oxide nanoparticles as an important member of metal oxide nanoparticles, through the reversible combination with oxygen atoms and the existence of oxygen vacancies, it continuously switches between Ce³⁺ and Ce⁴⁺, make it have the dual characteristic of redox. Because of its special physical and chemical properties, cerium oxide has been widely concerned as a widely used nanomaterials, especially in the field of medicine. More and more studies have shown that cerium oxide nanoparticles have antioxidant, anticancer, antibacterial and neuroprotective effects, these effects were achieved by mimicking the mechanisms of natural enzyme activity, inducing apoptosis of cancer cells, inhibiting abnormal vascular growth, destroying bacterial cell walls and reactive oxygen species. This article reviews the biological activity and mechanism of nano-cerium oxide in many aspects, hoping to provide reference for biomedical medicine and clinical application of nano-cerium oxide.