Gold Nanoparticles as Carrier(s) for Drug Targeting and Imaging

Nanotechnology has been explored for its prospective to deliver bioactives in potentially safer concentrations through both passive and active targeting. Inorganic nanomaterials particularly gold nanoparticles find tremendous applications in biomedicine. In this review, common synthesis techniques and biofunctionalization strategies and areas of applications for gold nanoparticles are discussed. Gold nanoparticles can be considered as advanced platforms for combined therapeutic and diagonostic applications due to their unique physicochemical properties including large specific surface area, adaptability to surface modification, biocompatibility and stability. Further they possess photothermal and radiosensitization characteristics. Gold nanoparticles possess unique properties in terms of their use in drug delivery, therapeutic, biodiagonostics and imaging applications.