Gold nanostars-diagnosis, bioimaging and biomedical applications

Abstract

Gold Nanostars (GNS) have attracted tremendous attention toward themselves owing to their multi-branched structure and unique properties. These state of the art metallic nanoparticles possess intrinsic features like remarkable optical properties and exceptional physiochemical activities. These star-shaped gold nanoparticles can predominantly be utilized in biosensing, photothermal therapy, imaging, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and target drug delivery applications due to their low toxicity and extraordinary optical features. In the current review, recent approaches in the matter of GNS in case of diagnosis, bioimaging and biomedical applications were summarized and reported. In this regard, first an overview about the structure and general properties of GNS were reported and thence detailed information regarding the diagnostic, bioimaging, photothermal therapy, and drug delivery applications of such novel nanomaterials were presented in detail. Summarized information clearly highlighting the superior capability of GNS as potential multi-functional materials for biomedical applications.

Keywords:

• Gold nanostars
• optical properties
• photothermal therapy
• drug delivery
• SERS

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Authors’ contributions

‘Seyyed Mojtaba Mousavi is the main supervisor of this essay and other members of the group collected the information and wrote the manuscript. All of authors read and approved the final manuscript.’