Silver nanoparticles: Synthesis and therapeutic applications

The unique optical, electrical and biological properties of metallic nanoparticles have attracted significant attention due to their potential use in a host of applications such as catalysis, biosensing, drug delivery and nanodevice fabrication. Among the noble metals, silver due to its excellent bio-compatibility and antibacterial property raise considerable interest as nanoparticles for biomedical applications. Since the size, shape and composition of silver nanoparticles can have significant effect on their efficacy, extensive research has gone into synthesizing and characterizing silver nanoparticles. This article reviews the various synthetic routes currently used for developing stable silver nanoparticles and their biomedical applications in the areas of microbial resistance, wound healing, surface enhanced Raman scattering and metal enhanced fluorescence.