Emerging Nanomaterials for Targeting Peroxisomes

Peroxisomes are single membrane-bound metabolic organelles whose dysfunction can lead to several metabolic disorders. In addition, they have been associated with the pathology of several diseases such as cancer, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, stroke, etc. In the last few decades, research has been focused on detecting peroxisomes in the physiological environment. However, the detection of these peroxisomes was based on fluorescent probes, which had limited success due to their toxicity, photobleaching, poor selectivity, and spontaneous oxidation. Moreover, research has been focused on mimicking the functionality of peroxisomes by fabricating artificial peroxisomes using synthetic materials, which have been limited due to poor stability and biocompatibility. Therefore, a new class of materials, “nanomaterials” has shown promise in overcoming the limitations underlying traditional techniques by providing better optical properties, stability and biocompatibility. Despite the advancement, the field remains in its infancy. Only a handful of studies have reported nanomaterials such as quantum dots, zeolites, liposomes, dendrimers, and nanoparticles to detect and fabricate peroxisomes. This review will provide a general description of peroxisomes and their role in different metabolic activities. The later part will focus on the challenges and progress related to nanomaterials-based peroxisome detection, fabrication, and delivery. This review will also provide insights into the critical research gaps and advances on different strategies utilized to explore peroxisomes, opening new avenues for future research in this field.