Biogenic nanosized gold particles: Physico-chemical characterization and its anticancer response against breast cancer

A review of nanomaterials from synthetic and natural molecules for prospective breast cancer nanotherapy

Breast cancer being one of the most frequent cancers in women accounts for almost a quarter of all cancer cases. Early and late-stage breast cancer outcomes have improved dramatically, with considerable gains in overall survival rate and disease-free state. However, the current therapy of breast cancer suffers from drug resistance leading to relapse and recurrence of the disease. Also, the currently used synthetic and natural agents have bioavailability issues which limit their use. Recently, nanocarriers-assisted delivery of synthetic and natural anticancer drugs has been introduced to the breast cancer therapy which alienates the limitations associated with the current therapy to a great extent. Significant progress has lately been made in the realm of nanotechnology, which proved to be vital in the fight against drug resistance. Nanotechnology has been successfully applied in the effective and improved therapy of different forms of breast cancer including invasive, non-invasive as well as triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), etc. This review presents a comprehensive overview of various nanoformulations prepared for the improved delivery of synthetic and natural anticancer drugs alone or in combination showing better efficacy and pharmacokinetics. In addition to this, various ongoing and completed clinical studies and patents granted on nanotechnology-based breast cancer drug delivery are also reviewed.

Biosynthesis of highly branched gold nanoparticles through structural engineering of fatty acids

Biomimetic approaches have been used to develop inorganic nanomaterials with complex morphologies and functions. Fatty acids are among the most important and decomposable biomolecules in nature. However, the controlled synthesis of branched gold nanoparticles using these biomolecules has not been reported. Herein, we demonstrate a strategy to produce highly branched gold nanoparticles through structural engineering of fatty acids. Furthermore, we developed a method for tailoring fatty acid molecules by altering their aliphatic chains to facilitate the morphological evolution of gold nanoparticles from spherical to branched shape. It is found that the growth of the nanoparticles is sensitive to characteristics of fatty acids, such as saturation degrees. The growth of the nanoparticle is visualized by high-speed atomic force microscopy. The reaction mechanisms and growth processes of branched gold nanoparticles are proposed. This work may serve as a cornerstone to the design in a biomimetic fashion for the controllable synthesis of metallic nanomaterials.

Bibliometric analysis on exploitation of biogenic gold and silver nanoparticles in breast, ovarian and cervical cancer therapy

Multifunctional nanoparticles are being formulated to overcome the side effects associated with anticancer drugs as well as conventional drug delivery systems. Cancer therapy has gained the advancement due to various pragmatic approaches with better treatment outcomes. The metal nanostructures such as gold and silver nanoparticles accessible via eco-friendly method provide amazing characteristics in the field of diagnosis and therapy towards cancer diseases. The environmental friendly approach has been proposed as a substitute to minimize the use of hazardous compounds associated in chemical synthesis of nanoparticles. In this attempt, researchers have used various microbes, and plant-based agents as reducing agents. In the last 2 decades various papers have been published emphasizing the benefits of the eco-friendly approach and advantages over the traditional method in the cancer therapy. Despite of various reports and published research papers, eco-based nanoparticles do not seem to find a way to clinical translation for cancer treatment. Present review enumerates the bibliometric data on biogenic silver and gold nanoparticles from Clarivate Analytics Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus for the duration 2010 to 2022 for cancer treatment with a special emphasis on breast, ovarian and cervical cancer. Furthermore, this review covers the recent advances in this area of research and also highlights the obstacles in the journey of biogenic nanodrug from clinic to market.

Controlled Release of Tea Tree Oil from a Chitosan Matrix Containing Gold Nanoparticles

Chitosan is a biopolymer that, due to its versatile bioactive properties, has applications in several areas, including food, medicine and pharmaceuticals. In the field of tissue engineering, chitosan can be used, for example, as a dressing to treat wounds or dermal damage, such as burns or abrasions. This work deals with the controlled release of tea tree oil from chitosan-based polymeric films and droplets containing gold nanoparticles (AuNP). AuNPs were successfully incorporated into the chitosan matrix using two different approaches. Both solutions were loaded with tea tree oil, and from these solutions, it was possible to obtain drop-cast films and droplets. The controlled release of oil in water was performed both in the films and in the droplets. The addition of AuNP in the controlled release system of melaleuca oil favored a release time of around 25 h. A series of experiments was carried out to investigate the effects of different reaction temperatures and acetic acid concentrations on the formation of AuNPs in the presence of chitosan. For this purpose, images of the AuNP films and droplets were obtained using transmission electron microscopy. In addition, UV-vis spectra were recorded to investigate the release of tea tree oil from the different samples.

Inorganic Nanoparticles in Bone Healing Applications

Modern biomedicine aims to develop integrated solutions that use medical, biotechnological, materials science, and engineering concepts to create functional alternatives for the specific, selective, and accurate management of medical conditions. In the particular case of tissue engineering, designing a model that simulates all tissue qualities and fulfills all tissue requirements is a continuous challenge in the field of bone regeneration. The therapeutic protocols used for bone healing applications are limited by the hierarchical nature and extensive vascularization of osseous tissue, especially in large bone lesions. In this regard, nanotechnology paves the way for a new era in bone treatment, repair and regeneration, by enabling the fabrication of complex nanostructures that are similar to those found in the natural bone and which exhibit multifunctional bioactivity. This review aims to lay out the tremendous outcomes of using inorganic nanoparticles in bone healing applications, including bone repair and regeneration, and modern therapeutic strategies for bone-related pathologies.

Application of Green Gold Nanoparticles in Cancer Therapy and Diagnosis

Nanoparticles are currently used for cancer theranostics in the clinical field. Among nanoparticles, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) attract much attention due to their usability and high performance in imaging techniques. The wide availability of biological precursors used in plant-based synthesized AuNPs allows for the development of large-scale production in a greener manner. Conventional cancer therapies, such as surgery and chemotherapy, have significant limitations and frequently fail to produce satisfying results. AuNPs have a prolonged circulation time, allow easy modification with ligands detected via cancer cell surface receptors, and increase uptake through receptor-mediated endocytosis. To exploit these unique features, studies have been carried out on the use of AuNPs as contrast agents for X-ray-based imaging techniques (i.e., computed tomography). As nanocarriers, AuNPs synthesized by nontoxic and biocompatible plants to deliver therapeutic biomolecules could be a significant stride forward in the effective treatment of various cancers. Fluorescent-plant-based markers, including AuNPs, fabricated using Medicago sativa, Olax Scandens, H. ambavilla, and H. lanceolatum, have been used in detecting cancers. Moreover, green synthesized AuNPs using various extracts have been applied for the treatment of different types of solid tumors. However, the cytotoxicity of AuNPs primarily depends on their size, surface reactivity, and surface area. In this review, the benefits of plant-based materials in cancer therapy are firstly explained. Then, considering the valuable position of AuNPs in medicine, the application of AuNPs in cancer therapy and detection is highlighted with an emphasis on limitations faced by the application of such NPs in drug delivery platforms.