Advances in nano silver-based biomaterials and their biomedical applications

Abstract

Silver nanoparticles are among the most widely researched and used for nanotechnology-derived structures due to their extraordinary inherent optical properties, chemical stability, catalytic activity, and high conductivity. These idiosyncratic properties can be attributed to their unique physico-chemical characteristics, such as ultrafine sizes, high surface area, diverse shapes, and strong localized surface plasmon resonance. These distinctive features can be tailored using various physical, chemical, and biological synthesis methods. Various physical techniques are viable for producing silver nanoparticles on a large scale, but they suffer from drawbacks such as high-power consumption, expensive set-up, and limited control over nanoparticle size distribution. Chemical methods provide benefits like high yield, consistent shape and size distribution, and cost efficiency, but the residual toxicity of the chemicals involved hinders their biological applications. Biological synthesis approaches effectively overcome the limitations of both physical and chemical methods by eliminating the need for hazardous chemicals, requiring less energy, enabling diverse nanoparticle morphologies, and offering eco-friendliness and exceptional biocompatibility. The novel and promising properties of nanosilver-based biomaterials have been demonstrated to be suitable for a wide range of pharmacological and therapeutic biomedical applications. Their extensive application in wound healing, dentistry, cardiovascular disease treatment, nerve tissue engineering, cancer treatment, and biosensing can be attributed to their inherent antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity, antithrombotic properties, potential for nerve regeneration, photothermal conversion efficiency and sensitivity, respectively. This review discusses the different methods employed for synthesising silver nanoparticles and focuses on using nanosilver-based biomaterials for various biomedical applications.