A Review of Gold Nanoparticle Used in Biological Application: Bacterial Infection, Cancer Treatment, and Cytotoxicity Study

Abstract

Gold nanoparticles have been studied extensively for various medical applications due to their strong capability for cancer treatment without drugs and their equally strong, but newly identified, potential in the anti-bacterial field. Due to their ease of synthesis, chemical stability, activation by light, and controllable toxicity, gold nanomaterials have attracted enormous interest as novel biomaterials, especially for cancer patients who have an increased rate of infection due to a compromised immune system. This review discussed how gold nanoparticle used in the anti-bacterial and anti-cancer fields, as well as their prospect in further medical research to combine such multi-properties into one kind nanoparticle. Given the adverse impacts of the pandemic spanning 2020 to 2022, a considerable number of research projects were either interrupted or prematurely terminated. As a direct consequence, this review solely encompasses the research progress attained prior to the onset of the pandemic. Notably, the core unresolved issues within this research domain—with specific focus on topics centered around gold nanoparticles—continue to be the subject of ongoing investigation to the present day.