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Review
. 2023 Jun 21;15(7):1783.
doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15071783.

Application of Silver Nanoparticles in Parasite Treatment

Ping Zhang  1 , Jiahao Gong  2 , Yan Jiang  3 , Yunfeng Long  3 , Weiqiang Lei  1 , Xiuge Gao  2 , Dawei Guo  2
Affiliations
Review

Application of Silver Nanoparticles in Parasite Treatment

Ping Zhang et al. Pharmaceutics. .

Abstract

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are ultra-small silver particles with a size from 1 to 100 nanometers. Unlike bulk silver, they have unique physical and chemical properties. Numerous studies have shown that AgNPs have beneficial biological effects on various diseases, including antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiparasitic, and antiviruses. One of the most well-known applications is in the field of antibacterial applications, where AgNPs have strong abilities to kill multi-drug resistant bacteria, making them a potential candidate as an antibacterial drug. Recently, AgNPs synthesized from plant extracts have exhibited outstanding antiparasitic effects, with a shorter duration of use and enhanced ability to inhibit parasite multiplication compared to traditional antiparasitic drugs. This review summarizes the types, characteristics, and the mechanism of action of AgNPs in anti-parasitism, mainly focusing on their effects in leishmaniasis, flukes, cryptosporidiosis, toxoplasmosis, Haemonchus, Blastocystis hominis, and Strongylides. The aim is to provide a reference for the application of AgNPs in the prevention and control of parasitic diseases.

Keywords: application; parasitic diseases; silver nanomaterials.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Main synthesis methods of AgNPs.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Electrical arc-discharge method of AgNPs.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Photochemical method of AgNPs.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Biological synthesis of AgNPs.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Increased production of ROS causes DNA damage.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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