Smart Theranostic Applications of Metal Nanoparticles Against Cancer

Metals such as silver, gold, and copper were used in ancient times for their medicinal properties. When these metals are converted to nanoparticles, they show unique and advanced physicochemical and biological properties due to their enhanced surface to volume ratio. Hence, these properties are utilized by researchers to develop highly specific diagnostic tools as well as a therapeutic agent against cancer. Cancer is a complex disease-causing desolation and death. Early detection and treatment is the only way to evade mortality. This chapter focuses on metal nanoparticles used as a theranostic agent against cancer. It summarizes the synthesis methodology along with their advantages, drawbacks and characterizations. Their recent application in diagnosing and treating cancer has also been highlighted.

Biopolymer-Based Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications

Biopolymers derived from natural sources like plants, microorganisms, and animals have attracted significant attention towards biomedical applications due to their biodegradability, biocompatibility, zero toxicity, and abundant nature compared to the synthetic counterparts. In recent years, the emergence of nanoscience has evidenced notable preference in the development of safe and potent nano-biomaterials. Among the various methods reported for the fabrication of nanomaterials, electrospinning has received prime focus in the generation of tuneable nanostructures with versatile properties. This chapter highlights the importance, mode of synthesis, applications, and limitations of biopolymer nanomaterials from natural origin.

Current Therapies and Future Prospects

Due to drug resistance, lack of cancer cell selectivity, and solubility, conventional cancer treatments lose their therapeutic uses, and as such, new therapeutic agents need to be developed. Nanomaterials and peptides are increasingly being used in the fields of cancer diagnosis, biomarker discovery due to their therapeutic values and novel way of targeting and curing the disease. Synergism among the peptide-conjugated nanoparticles is an exhilarating group of materials, not only sharing the benefits of conventional nanomedicine, but also possessing the unique properties of excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability, versatile sensitivity, specific biological purpose, and synthetic feasibility. These virtues inspired by the scientists and have taken advantage in the peptide-conjugated nano drugs for the accurate delivery of drugs reliably to the site of the lesion. This chapter offers a summary of emerging technologies that have recently been developed in the broad field of peptide-conjugated nanoparticles and offers guidance for targeted drug delivery and cancer therapy.

Emerging Nano-Based Drug Delivery Approach for Cancer Therapeutics

Cancer remains the important cause for the mortality worldwide. In recent days, different biomedical strategies are in the limelight for the control of mortality due to cancer. As a promising strategy in cancer treatment, nano-formulations with advantages in drug delivery, health, and pharmacy are booming. The conventional nanocarrier continues, however, to suffer from low drug load efficiency, possible toxicity, unknown metabolism, and other uncertainties. To overcome these problems, carrier-free nanodrugs with desirable bioactivity were developed quickly and attracted considerable attention. In the meantime, the nanoarchitecture developed by a simple “natural” method with a multifunctional self-life has major advantages in multi-drug resistant synergistic cancer therapies and inhibition. Until now, the carrier-free nanoparticles for tumour therapy, phototherapy, chemotherapy, diagnostics, and synergistic therapy have made significant progress. In this review, the authors provide an integrated and detailed review of recent literature on nanodrug delivery systems composed of several active agents.

Encountering the Survival Strategies Using Various Nano Assemblages

The technological advancements have not only made humans more civilized but have also caused the micro-organisms to develop several survival strategies via antimicrobial resistance to keep pace. Such highly developed microbial systems have been classified as superbugs, exhibiting Trojan-horse mechanism. This uncertain behaviour in microbes has challenged humans to scour around novel moiety to shield themselves from the detrimental effects. One such natural phenomenon that has drawn the attention of researchers is the metal-microbe interaction where microbes were found to be controlled during their interaction with metals. Fine tuning could bestow them with enhanced physico-chemical properties capable of controlling life-threatening micro-organisms. Nano forms of metals (nanoparticles, quantum dots, polymeric nanostructures) exhibiting medicinal properties have been implied toward biomedical theranostics. This chapter highlights the mechanistic antimicrobial resistance and the containment strategy using various nano assemblage highlighting its fabrication and bio-molecular interaction.

Toxicity and Risk Assessment of Nanomaterials

The development and advancement of nanotechnology has led to widespread use of nanomaterials (NMs) in a wide variety of fields, including the environment, agriculture, biomedicine, industry, and human health. Nanomaterials may interfere with biological systems due to their smaller size and increased surface area ratios in terms of volume which may raise unanticipated toxicological apprehensions. The minute nature of the particles may cross biological margins and induce toxicity in vital organs like the human brain and placenta. Moreover, environmental exposures to NMs are inevitable, which have become crucial parts of our daily routine lives and consequently, search for the nanotoxicity is gaining attention to lessen or get rid of the toxic impacts of the NMs. The safety concerns and risk assessment of NMs have been raised significantly in research community circles, industries, and regulatory bodies. The information in the concerned section, obtained from current literature and toxicological effects of NMs research are assorted.

Modern Nanomaterials Extraction and Characterization Techniques Using Plant Samples and Their Biomedical Potential

Nanotechnology has explored tremendous development during the last decade because of its specific properties. Nanotechnology offers generous prospects in the improvement of agriculture, water treatment, and food industry. In this study, modern extraction techniques of agricultural and plant samples with advanced characterization methods were discussed. Additionally, various factors affecting during synthesis of NPs are also briefly described. The assessments of NPs in these samples are very complex and various techniques are to be used to get essential data. The outcomes estimated by these various techniques and methodologies are not constantly identical because of different samples different standardization methodology. A new challenge emerges when testing samples with low concentration. For this situation, expository techniques with high affectability are wanted to gauge low convergences of NPs. A perfect analytical technique should be able to detect plant-NP association, for example, structure, morphology, natural speciation, size, mass concentration, etc.

Current Strategies in Peptide Conjugated Nanoparticles

In the arena of biomedicine, peptide-nanoparticle conjugates (PNCs) have been newly arising as a multifunctional tool. The synergistic effect of the two groups was directly heightened the various biological properties. There are thousands of PNCs that have been developed for both the narrow and broad bioactivities. In this review, the authors highlighted the novel technologies like single and multi-walled carbon nanotubes conjugates, trivalent, and multivalent conjugates and their importance. This study provides a clear picture about the emerging technologies in the field of PNCs and also offers a guideline for the budding researchers, particularly who are new to this field.

Overview of Nano-Strategies for Combating Cancer

Cancer is one of the prime rationales for mortality in humanity and remains a difficult disease to treat. Contemporary problems allied with conventional cancer chemotherapies embrace the insolubility of drugs in an aqueous medium, delivery of sub-therapeutic doses to target cells, lack of bioavailability, and most importantly, non-specific toxicity to normal tissues. Recent advances in nanotechnology investigation tackle potential solutions to these riddles. However, there are challenges regarding targeting specific sites, tracking the delivery system and control over the release of the drug to the target site. The nanodevices are 100 to 1000 times smaller than cells in humans; their size is comparable to the enzymes, the receptors. This enables them to have a large surface area and ability to interact with biomolecules on both the surface and inside cells. Nanomedicines between 8-100 nm have an enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, which make these medicines to target passively the solid tumours.

Antimicrobial Resistance and Antimicrobial Nanomaterials

Back in the mid-nineties, the discovery of antimicrobials denoted a profound and remarkable achievement in medicine which was capable of saving lives. However, recently, antimicrobial resistance became a major global issue facing modern medicine and significantly increased among bacteria, fungi, and viruses which results in reduced efficacy of many clinically important and lifesaving antimicrobials. The growing rise of antimicrobial resistance inflicts a remarkable economic and social burden on the health care system globally. The replacement of conventional antimicrobials by new technology to counteract and lessen antimicrobial resistance is currently ongoing. Nanotechnology is an advanced approach to overcome challenges of such resisted conventional drug delivery systems mainly based on the development and fabrication of nanoparticulate structures. Numerous forms of nanoparticulate systems have been discovered and tried as prospective drug delivery systems, comprising organic and inorganic nanoparticles.