Kalyani Chande, Shubangi Pharande, Smeeta Sadar, Henry O. Edete, Diana O. Ochoule, Rohit Doke, Sudarshan Singh, Pooja V. Nagime
Recent advances in materials science have expanded the industry’s presence in the development of metal nanoparticles such as gold, silver, palladium, copper, iron and iron oxides, in delivering therapeutics for enhanced cancer treatment. Numerous studies have investigated the synthesis of metallic nanoparticles (MNPs) utilizing “green chemistry”, which uses biological agents to reduce the need for solvents and modulate the physicochemical and biological characteristics of the final products. MNPs have unique structural and physicochemical characteristics that broaden their biomedical applications. From biomolecule identification to the delivery of genes, therapeutic agents, DNA, RNA, enzymes, nucleic acids and amino acids, these advances represent a defining focus of the present century. Diagnostic tests have revolutionized the process for evaluating biomolecules by using the optical characteristics of MNPs to decrease the sample size, analysis time and improve the validity of the results. This review highlights green synthesis strategies of MNPs, their applications in biosensing and their therapeutic potential, including drug delivery, photothermal therapy and multimodal approaches, along with disease-specific analyses across major cancers.