A Decade of Biomimetic and Bioinspired Nanostructures

Abstract

The interacting chemistry between biological components and nanostructured materials is increasingly gaining attention due to the prospect of engineering advanced bioinspired and biomimetic materials with specialized biological functions. The biomimetic and bioinspiration approach is based on learning from living nature entities and has seen an unprecedented surge in the last decade, spurred by advances in nanoscience and technology. In recent years, novel green synthesis protocols have emerged as one of the environment-conscious alternative methods for nanoparticle synthesis. In response to the growing demand over the last century for green, affordable, and sustainable solutions, scientists are turning to nature for inspiration to design nanomaterials that have unique characteristics and properties, for example, adaptability, miniaturization, and hierarchical organization. Additionally, the poise of hierarchical structures confers multifunctionality in biological systems, which provides precise control over the synthesis of nanoparticles to enable materials design with specific functionalities. Therefore, environmentally friendly, non-toxic, and biomimetic approaches are gaining prominence over synthetically engineering complex materials. This chapter attempts to explain the advances in biomimetic and bioinspired nanostructures and present them as promising solutions to many unresolved problems in the biomedical field. Biomimetic nanostructures regulate cell behavior, which is reported in in vitro studies where they play an important role in cell nuclear alignment, cell spreading, cell differentiation, phagocytosis, and viability. Here, we will present the recent developments in the preparation of bioinspired and biomimetic nanostructures through different routes of synthesis. The different templates used for the synthesis of nanostructures and binding the template with other useful materials to enhance the therapeutic efficacy have also been discussed. The chapter will also highlight the repair of cardiac and bioanalysis of dietary supplements using biomimetic nanostructures, the signal amplification by bioinspired structure, increased drug efficacy and other biomedical advantages have also been mentioned, thereby conclude the chapter with future outlooks of biomimetic and bioinspired structures in the medical field.