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Abstract
Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) possess many advantages such as facile synthesis, controllable size and shape, good biocompatibility, and unique optical properties. Au NPs have been widely used in biomedical fields, such as hyperthermia, biocatalysis, imaging, and drug delivery. The broad application range may result in hazards to the environment and human health. Therefore, it is important to predict safety and evaluate therapeutic efficiency of Au NPs. It is necessary to establish proper approaches for the study of toxicity and biomedical effects. In this review, we first focus on the recent progress in biological effects of Au NPs at the molecular and cellular levels, and then introduce key techniques to study the interaction between Au NPs and proteins. Knowledge of the biomedical effects of Au NPs is significant for the rational design of functional nanomaterials and will help predict their safety and potential applications.
Acknowledgments
We are grateful for financial support by the National Basic Research Program of China (2011CB933401 and 2012CB934000), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (11205166 and 21320102003), the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (no. 11425520), the International Science & Technology Cooperation Program of China (2013DFG32340), the Major Equipment Program (2011YQ030134) from the Ministry of Science Technology of China, and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF 0315773A).