Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Optical
engineering
Medicines
&
drugs
Cosmetics
Biosensors
METAL NANOPARTICLES
Catalysis
Defense
&
security
Nanodevices
Tissue
engineering
Figure 8.2
Applications of Metal NPs.
in various i elds. h e use of gold nanoparticles dates back to the 16th cen-
tury, for both medical and staining purposes. h ereat er, gold nanopar-
ticles have found application in analytical methods such as colorimetric
techniques for the determination of heavy metal ions in aqueous solutions
[187]. h ey possess catalytic activity, and hence are used for reactions
such as the water-gas shit reaction and selective oxidation of CO [188].
Gold nanoparticles are also used in the i eld of sensors [186]. In biology,
they are used for the development of biosensors, DNA labels [189] and
in medicine [190]. However, spherical gold nanoparticles have been used
to generate functional electrical coatings [191]. In medical applications,
these nanoparticles have been used in treating B-chronic lymphocytic leu-
kemia (CLL). An incurable disease, CLL is predominantly characterized by
apoptosis resistance. Earlier CLL treatment was with anti-VEFG antibody,
however, treatment was found to be more ef ective when VEFG antibody
was attached to gold nanoparticles [192]. Gold nanoparticles have also
been used in the Carter-Wallace home pregnancy test, “First Response,”
h is uses conventional micrometer-sized latex particles in conjunction
with gold nanoparticles (<50 nm diameter), which makes them pink. h e
micro- and nanoparticles are derivatized with antibodies to human chori-
onic gonadotrophin, a hormone released by pregnant women. When mixed
with the urine sample containing this hormone, the micro- and nanopar-
ticles are co-agglutinated and the resulting clumps are colored pink [193].
h e plasmon resonance absorption of gold particles has been exploited in
a proposed DNA detection method [194]. Owing to the distinct biologi-
cal activity of silver nanoparticles, they have found application in ecology
