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Review
. 2018 Jul 6;19(7):1979.
doi: 10.3390/ijms19071979.

Gold Nanoparticles in Diagnostics and Therapeutics for Human Cancer

Priyanka Singh  1 , Santosh Pandit  2 , V R S S Mokkapati  3 , Abhroop Garg  4 , Vaishnavi Ravikumar  5 , Ivan Mijakovic  6   7
Affiliations
Review

Gold Nanoparticles in Diagnostics and Therapeutics for Human Cancer

Priyanka Singh et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

The application of nanotechnology for the treatment of cancer is mostly based on early tumor detection and diagnosis by nanodevices capable of selective targeting and delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs to the specific tumor site. Due to the remarkable properties of gold nanoparticles, they have long been considered as a potential tool for diagnosis of various cancers and for drug delivery applications. These properties include high surface area to volume ratio, surface plasmon resonance, surface chemistry and multi-functionalization, facile synthesis, and stable nature. Moreover, the non-toxic and non-immunogenic nature of gold nanoparticles and the high permeability and retention effect provide additional benefits by enabling easy penetration and accumulation of drugs at the tumor sites. Various innovative approaches with gold nanoparticles are under development. In this review, we provide an overview of recent progress made in the application of gold nanoparticles in the treatment of cancer by tumor detection, drug delivery, imaging, photothermal and photodynamic therapy and their current limitations in terms of bioavailability and the fate of the nanoparticles.

Keywords: biocompatibility; cancer; clinical trials; drug delivery; gold nanoparticles; photodynamic therapy; photoimaging; photothermal therapy; protein corona; toxicology.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Important properties of gold nanoparticles.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Different approaches of gold nanoparticles in cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Distribution of nanoparticles with varying coatings and bound proteins. PEG = poly-ethyleneglycol.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Systemic delivery of multifunctional gold nanoparticles for cancer bioimaging, photothermal therapy (PPT), and photodynamic therapy (PDT). EPR = enhanced permeation and retention; NIR = near infra-red; ROS = reactive oxygen species.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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