Metal Nanoparticles as Novel Antifungal Agents for Sustainable Agriculture: Current Advances and Future Directions

Abstract

The use of metal nanoparticles is considered a good alternative to control phytopathogenic fungi in agriculture. To date, numerous metal nanoparticles (e.g., Ag, Cu, Se, Ni, Mg, and Fe) have been synthesized and used as potential antifungal agents. Therefore, this proposal presents a critical and detailed review of the use of these nanoparticles to control phytopathogenic fungi. Ag nanoparticles have been the most investigated nanoparticles due to their good antifungal activities, followed by Cu nanoparticles. It was also found that other metal nanoparticles have been investigated as antifungal agents, such as Se, Ni, Mg, Pd, and Fe, showing prominent results. Different synthesis methods have been used to produce these nanoparticles with different shapes and sizes, which have shown outstanding antifungal activities. This review shows the success of the use of metal nanoparticles to control phytopathogenic fungi in agriculture.

Nanoparticles for oral delivery: targeted therapy for inflammatory bowel disease

“…122,123 Therefore, metallic NPs are currently utilized in various fields including diagnostic, therapeutic, and drug delivery potential. 124–126 Recently, metallic NPs are gaining increased attention in colon-targeted DDSs in IBD therapy. 127 Additionally, gold NPs are well naturally candidates to treat inflammatory diseases, including IBD, due to their intrinsic anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties.…”

Advances in Nanostructures for Antimicrobial Therapy

“…Metal or metalloid NPs have become extremely popular in the fight against bacterial, viral, fungal and parasitic diseases in both medicine and agriculture [ 44 , 125 , 144 , 145 , 146 , 255 , 256 , 257 , 258 , 259 , 260 ]. While several nano-based preparations can be found on the market among agrochemicals, e.g., [ 261 , 262 , 263 ], metal and metalloid-based nanosystems are still being extensively tested for medical purposes.…”

A Metal-Containing NP Approach to Treat Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA): Prospects and Challenges

“…Due to their nanosize and sharp size distribution, metal-containing NPs have been widely utilized in various fields, including environmental science, energy, food industry, catalysis, and medicine. Silver and copper NPs have been widely used as antifungal agents especially in controlling phytopathogenic fungi in agriculture [ 80 ]. Relating to the field of biomedical applications, the roles of metal-containing NPs are well exemplified, namely in antifungal activities, bioimaging, chemotherapy for cancerous cells, photothermal activities, as well as detection of glucose and hydrogen peroxide [ 81 , 82 , 83 ].…”