A comprehensive review on graphene oxide-based nanocarriers: Synthesis, functionalization and biomedical applications

Abstract

The biomedical and nanomedicine sectors have bloomed in the last two decades with the technological advancements in nanoscience. The significance of nanotechnology for biomedicines, drug and gene delivery, biosensors, regenerative medications, and tissue engineering-related applications has been improved drastically. Various nanomaterials, including graphene oxide (GO), with their two-dimensional structure, functionalization ability, and excellent physicochemical properties, opened new avenues in the biomedical field. Despite thediverse research outcomes highlightingthe importance of GO in biomedical applications, thecomprehensive assessments emphasizing the limitations in thestate-of-the-art literatureand offering suggestions to address them are sparse. In this work, the recent advances in the synthesis and application of GO or GO-based nanocarriers in targeted drug delivery, cancer therapeutics, organ or tissue regenerative medication, and gene delivery have been discussed, along with their utilization in disease diagnostic via biosensing and bioimaging. Alongside this, various functionalization approaches employed to improve the surface characteristics of GO, including its biocompatibility and stimuli-responsive behavior, are critically reviewed. Recommendations are made to subside the challenges related to synthesis, functionalization, toxicity, and implementation of GO-based nanomaterials in diagnosis, therapeutics, and drug and gene delivery. At last, the potential scope for the utilization of GO-based nanocarriers in the biomedical sector, along with their in-vitro and in-vivo toxicological aspects and factors affecting their adaptability, are discussed comprehensively. This paper will be very much beneficial for the researchers to acquire relevant information and overcome the difficulties related to the application of GO-based nanocarriers in the biomedical, material science, and pharmaceutical sectors.