Recent Advances of Gold Nanoparticles in Biomedical Applications: State of the Art

Nanomedicine is one of the growing fields that presents new techniques for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) are considered as an important class of nanomaterials that possess superior physicochemical properties that make them valuable in medical applications. Unique optical properties of GNPs and their utility in photothermal and radiotherapy have extended a new platform for early detection and treatment of cancer, lately. Nanostructures based on GNPs are nontoxic and biocompatible with a large surface area that makes it possible to modify their surface with different chemicals including different polymers, antibodies, and even drug molecules. Therefore, they are utilized for targeted drug delivery in order to carry drugs and selectively release them in desired tissues which reduces destructive effects on healthy cells while it elevates the drug dose in cancerous ones. This review mainly covers the basic properties of GNPs, their synthesis methods, and focuses on surface modification of these nanoparticles and their diagnosis and therapeutic applications in cancer.