11 - Bioapplications of nanoparticles

Abstract

In recent times, metallic and metal oxide nanoparticles have found significant applications in the field of biomedical and pharmaceutical research. Silver nanoparticles have been tremendously used in therapeutics, especially in personalized healthcare practice. Ag NPs are widely used in antimicrobial therapy, drug delivery, diagnosis, therapeutics, and tissue regeneration. Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) have been extensively used in various biomedical applications, including bioimaging, targeted drug delivery, and cancer diagnosis and therapy. They are easy to synthesize and conjugate with different molecular and chemical entities. They are relatively less cytotoxic with higher rates of penetration in comparison to other metal particles, such as silver nanoparticles. These properties of GNPs make them a perfect material of choice for biomedicine. ZnO nanomaterials have low toxicity and biodegradability. Zn2+ is an indispensable trace element for adults, and it is involved in various metabolic pathways. Within this chapter, we focus on the potential bioapplications of various nanoparticles, such as Ag NPs, Au NPs, and ZnO NPs, in antimicrobial therapy, drug delivery, wound repair, and cancer therapy.