Advances in Green Synthesis of Iron Nanoparticles and Theranostic Potentials in Healthcare: A Review

This review covers green synthesis of iron nanoparticles, meaning routes that use plant extracts or microbes in place of costly chemical methods that need harsh conditions and generate hazardous compounds. It collects plant-based syntheses, in which extract compounds such as polyphenols, flavonoids, and terpenoids act as the reducing agents, and summarises reported uses of the particles in theranostics (therapy combined with diagnosis), drug delivery, magnetic resonance imaging, and the breakdown of dyes and antibiotics. Plant routes are presented as the cheaper and faster option, and the review closes on magnetic nanoparticles in medicine.