Synthesis, Characterization, Toxicity of Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Nanomaterials are widely used for biomedical applications as their sizes are comparable with most of the biological entities. Many diagnostic and therapeutic techniques based on nanoscience and nanotechnologies are already in the clinical trial stages, and encouraging results have been reported. The progress in nanoscience and nanotechnology has led to the formation and development of a new field, nanomedicine, which is generally defined as the biomedical applications of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Nanomedicine stands at the boundaries between physical, chemical, biological and medical sciences, and the advances in nanomedicine have made it possible to analyze and treat biological systems at the cell and sub-cell levels, providing revolutionary approaches for the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of some fatal diseases, such as cancer. Nanomagnetism is at the forefront of nanoscience and nanotechnology, and in the field of nanomedicine, magnetic nanomaterials are among the most promising for clinical diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Similarly, luminescent materials are equally important for tagging and imaging applications. The nanomaterials used for biomedical purposes generally include zero-dimensional nanoparticles, one-dimensional nanowires and nanotubes, and two-dimensional thin films. For example, magnetic nanoparticles and nanotubes are widely used for labeling and manipulating biomolecules, targeting drugs and genes, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as well as hyperthermia treatment. Magnetic thin films are often used in the development of nanosensors and nanosystems for analyzing biomolecules and diagnosing diseases. As the synthesis and characterization of these nanostructures are completely interdisciplinary, there is a need of coordinated efforts for the successful implementation of these nanomaterials. The synthesis of nanoparticles with required shape, size, and core-shell configuration (surface coating) along with proper characterization are still in the early stage of research. On the other hand, due to the similar size to biological systems, nanoparticles pose potential threats to health and they could consequently have a large impact on industry and society. Hence, apart from successful synthesis and characterization of various nanomaterials, an effort to understand the toxicological impacts of nanomaterials much research has to be done to establish standards and protocols for the safe use of nanomaterials in industry as well as in the public arena, including academia and research laboratories. Nanoparticles have sparked intense interest in anticipation that this unexplored range of material dimensions will yield size-dependent properties. The physical and chemical