Gold Nanoparticles in Drug Delivery Systems: Therapeutic Applications

摘要

In the present century, Nanotechnology is gaining tremendous importance due to its capability of modulating metals into their nanosize, which drastically changes the physical, chemical and optical properties of metals. These properties can be used to overcome some of the limitations found in traditional therapeutic and diagnostic agents. Functionalized Gold (Au) nanoparticles represent highly attractive and promising applications in drug delivery in special context to their unique dimensions, tunable functionalities on the surface and controllable drug release. Gold nanoparticles have unique properties which help in molecular diagnostics, therapies and as well as in devices that are used in several medical procedures. Continuing improvement in the pharmacological and therapeutic properties of drugs is driving the revolution in novel drug delivery systems. This article will review recent developments in the use of Gold nanoparticles as drug delivery systems to treat a wide variety of diseases. The purpose of this paper is to focus on therapeutic applications of gold nanoparticles while exploring their various prospectives like cancer therapy, gold nanospheres, gold nanoshells, gold nanorods, gold nanocages and photothermal therapy. The ultimate aim of this research is to open some new aspects of nanomedicine to fight and prevent diseases using atomic scale materials.