Nanogold: important role in rapid detection and treatment of infectious pathogens

Abstract

The rapid development of science and technology, including nanotechnology, has significantly enhanced the quality of human life. Gold nanoparticles are one of the most popular nanomaterials with a significant contribution
to healthcare. The review aims to discuss advances in gold nanoparticles in the detection and treatment of infectious pathogens. The review method was performed by searching the keyword “gold nanoparticles” on Pubmed, filtering and analyzing studies directly related to infectious pathogens. Results showed that gold nanoparticles have received great attention from scientists in the past 10 years with over 3,200 publications annually in the field of biomedicine in general and infectious diseases in particular. Gold nanoparticles are often used in biomolecular localization, improving bio-imaging contrast, highlighting lines in immunochromatographic techniques and carrying drugs to treat pathogens. However, several studies also warn that gold nanoparticles have a certain toxicity to mammalian cells in vitro. This study has provided an overview of gold nanoparticles with their characteristics and potential applications in the detection and destruction of infectious pathogens as well as in other biomedical applications.