Simultaneous Stabilization and Functionalization of Gold Nanoparticles via Biomolecule Conjugation: Progress and Perspectives

Abstract

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are used in various biological applications because of their small surface area-to-volume ratios, ease of synthesis and modification, low toxicity, and unique optical properties. These properties can vary significantly with changes in AuNP size, shape, composition, and arrangement. Thus, the stabilization of AuNPs is crucial to preserve the properties required for biological applications. In recent years, various polymer-based physical and chemical methods have been extensively used for AuNP stabilization. However, a new stabilization approach using biomolecules has recently attracted considerable attention. Biomolecules such as DNA, RNA, peptides, and proteins are representative of the biomoieties that can functionalize AuNPs. According to several studies, biomolecules can stabilize AuNPs in biological media; in addition, AuNP-conjugated biomolecules can retain certain biological functions. Furthermore, the presence of biomolecules on AuNPs significantly enhances their biocompatibility. This review provides a representative overview of AuNP functionalization using various biomolecules. The strategies and mechanisms of AuNP functionalization using biomolecules are comprehensively discussed in the context of various biological fields.

Green Synthesis of Gold and Silver Nanoparticles Using Leaf Extract of Capsicum chinense Plant

“…We hypothesize that amino acids play a possible role as stabilizing agents in our work. There are reports of the ability of amino acids to selectively coordinate with nanoparticles [45][46][47], which would support our hypothesis. On the other hand, in our experiments, we found that polyphenols and reducing sugars could be involved in synthesizing the AgNPs-leaf and the AuNPs-leaf in our study system, and our data agree with that published by other authors [7,[48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55].…”

Floating synthesis with enhanced catalytic performance via acoustic levitation processing

“…Gold nanoparticles exhibit fascinating application potentials in the fields of catalysis [1] , [2] , [3] , [4] , [5] , biology [6] , [7] , and medical testing [8] , [9] . Various methods have been employed to synthesize gold nanoparticles, including liquid phase synthesis, chemical vapor deposition, solid phase method, etc.…”

Controlled Synthesis of Platinum and Silver Nanoparticles Using Multivalent Ligands

“…The capping agent plays an essential role in the formation of nanoparticles; mostly, thiols [57][58][59], amines [60][61][62], and polymers [63][64][65] are used as capping agents. Recently, multivalent ligands have been the focus of research because of their potential uses in biological applications [65,66]. Many biological systems, such as proteins, have amine groups in their structure, and hence, can stabilize PtNPs and AgNPs.…”

“…Many biological systems, such as proteins, have amine groups in their structure, and hence, can stabilize PtNPs and AgNPs. The use of multivalent ligands is expected to enhance the efficiency as compared with the monovalent ligands [65,66]. Due to multivalent ligands' high avidity and specificity, they can act as potent inhibitors for pathogen and SARS-CoV-2 infection [67,68].…”