Gold Nanoparticles and Their Applications in Biomedicine

Abstract

Although used in medical applications for centuries, the development of nanotechnology has shed new light in the plethora of possible medical and biological applications using gold-based nanostructures. Gold nanostructures are stable and relatively inert in biological systems, leading to low reatogenicity, biocompatibility and general lack of toxicity. Allied to that, gold nanoparticles present optical and electronic properties that have been exploited in a range of biomedical applications. In this review we discuss biologically relevant properties of gold nanoparticles and how they are used in some biomedicine fields, especially those involving biosensing of biological analytes – including viruses and antibodies against them, cancer therapies, and antigen delivery, including viral antigens – as part of nonclassic vaccine strategies.

Prospects for the use of spherical gold nanoparticles in immunization

“…In addition, gold nanoparticles can be easily synthesized, giving them shapes such as spheres, rods, cubes, stars, and pyramids. This quality allows the use of gold nanoparticles for a variety of purposes, including vaccine delivery (Versiani et al 2016).…”

Immunological properties of gold nanoparticles

“…Subsequently, a number of papers were published whose authors applied and further developed this technique to obtain antibodies to the following haptens and complete antigens: amino acids; 104,105 platelet-activating factor; 106,107 quinolinic acid; 108 biotin; 109 recombinant peptides; 110,111 lysophosphatide acid; 112 endostatin; 113 the capsid peptide of hepatitis C, 114 influenza, 115 foot-and-mouth disease, 116,117 and dengue 118 viruses; α-amidated peptides; 119 actin; 120 antibiotics; 121 ivermectin; 122,123 azobenzene; 124 Aβ-peptide; 125 clenbuterol; 126 α-methylacyl-CoA racemase; 127 Yersinia , 128,129 Listeria monocytogenes , 130 and Escherichia coli 131 surface antigens; Neisseria meningitides , 132 Streptococcus pneumoniae , 133 and Burkholderia mallei 134,135 carbohydrate antigens; Pseudomonas aeruginosa flagellin; 136 the transmissible gastroenteritis virus; 29 tuberculin; 137,138 the peptides of the malaria plasmodium surface proteins; 139,140 opisthorchiasis excretory–secretory antigen; 141 tetanus toxoid. 142 In all these studies, the haptens or complete antigens were directly conjugated to colloidal gold particles, mixed with complete Freund's adjuvant or alum, and used for animal immunization.…”

Highly Efficient Copper Sulfide‐Based Near‐Infrared Photothermal Agents: Exploring the Limits of Macroscopic Heat Conversion

“…Although many gold‐based nanoparticles display strong NIR LSPR absorption properties and corresponding heat conversion efficiencies (HCE) as high as 80%, they are costly to produce and their size often exceeds 100 nm, a contentious trait in the context of most biological applications . Moreover, prolonged exposure to heat can result in the modification of the gold nanoparticles' morphology, leading to changes in their LSPR absorption profile and a partial or complete loss of the heat conversion properties .…”