Recent developments in computational and experimental studies of physicochemical properties of Au and Ag nanostructures on cellular uptake and nanostructure

Recent developments in studies of the uptake and toxicity of both gold (Au) and silver (Ag) nanostructures (NS) in drug delivery systems have shown that physicochemical properties play an important role. Physicochemical properties of engineered NS such as size, shape, coordination chemistry, surface charge, and surface chemistry generally manifest in reactivity, surface energetics and electronic properties of the nanomaterials. This review discusses the computational and experimental studies conducted to study the effects of physicochemical properties on cellular uptake and nanostructure toxicity. The studies show that properties like coordination chemistry have often been overlooked when studying the high surface energy of NS.

Automated summary

Recent studies have shown that the uptake and toxicity of gold and silver nanostructures in drug delivery systems are influenced by their physicochemical properties. These properties, including size, shape, coordination chemistry, surface charge, and surface chemistry, affect the reactivity, surface energetics, and electronic properties of the nanomaterials.