Introduction to Nanoparticles, Synthesis Characterization and Clinical Status
摘要
In the twenty-first century, the word nano is not new to us; we are familiar with it, from a car’s name produced by the Indian company to an electronic processor chip or a sim card. It is related to the size 1 nm is 1 to the power– 9 m. However, nanoparticles were not new to humans. The Lycurgus Cup from the fourth century A.D., or tinted color glass used in many old buildings from Medieval Europe, was produced by adding metallic nanoparticles, such as gold and silver. The gold nanoparticles present different colors based on its size and shape [1]. It is predominately based on a surface plasmon resonance effect. Similarly, the ancient Indian medicine book—ayurveda reported many recipes for producing nanoparticle-based medicines (bhasma) and their medicinal applications [2, 3]. From that time to recently, nanotechnology for medical applications has walked a long distance. With an advanced understanding of materials and biomaterials, researchers have turned to nanoparticles made of different functional materials as promising carriers for therapeutic agents to overcome the limitations associated with conventional therapeutics, such as systemic side effects. These nanoparticles, typically ranging in size from 1 to 999 nm, offer a novel approach to drug delivery by providing targeted accumulation at specific sites within the body. By harnessing their size and shape-dependent properties, nanoparticles facilitate enhanced permeation and retention, maximizing therapeutic payload delivery while minimizing off-target effects.