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Review
. 2018 Aug 31;8(9):681.
doi: 10.3390/nano8090681.

Biomedical Applications of Silver Nanoparticles: An Up-to-Date Overview

Alexandra-Cristina Burdușel  1 , Oana Gherasim  2   3 , Alexandru Mihai Grumezescu  4 , Laurențiu Mogoantă  5 , Anton Ficai  6 , Ecaterina Andronescu  7
Affiliations
Review

Biomedical Applications of Silver Nanoparticles: An Up-to-Date Overview

Alexandra-Cristina Burdușel et al. Nanomaterials (Basel). .

Abstract

During the past few years, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) became one of the most investigated and explored nanotechnology-derived nanostructures, given the fact that nanosilver-based materials proved to have interesting, challenging, and promising characteristics suitable for various biomedical applications. Among modern biomedical potential of AgNPs, tremendous interest is oriented toward the therapeutically enhanced personalized healthcare practice. AgNPs proved to have genuine features and impressive potential for the development of novel antimicrobial agents, drug-delivery formulations, detection and diagnosis platforms, biomaterial and medical device coatings, tissue restoration and regeneration materials, complex healthcare condition strategies, and performance-enhanced therapeutic alternatives. Given the impressive biomedical-related potential applications of AgNPs, impressive efforts were undertaken on understanding the intricate mechanisms of their biological interactions and possible toxic effects. Within this review, we focused on the latest data regarding the biomedical use of AgNP-based nanostructures, including aspects related to their potential toxicity, unique physiochemical properties, and biofunctional behaviors, discussing herein the intrinsic anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal activities of silver-based nanostructures.

Keywords: antimicrobial efficiency; biofunctional performances; biological interactions; biomedical applications; intrinsic anti-inflammatory activity; silver nanoparticles.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Various modes of action of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on bacteria [57].
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic representation of plausible methods of cellular uptake of AgNPs [243]. Reprinted with permission from [243]. Elsevier, 2015.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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