Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Today the propensity of NPs to cross cell barriers, enter cells and interact
with subcellular structure is well established, yet there is increasing con-
cern that environmental exposure to engineered nanoparticles may result
in signii cant adverse ef ects [110]. Hence proper characterization of the
nanomaterials as well as an understanding of the interaction of nanopar-
ticles with humans when in contact with them, is crucial for understanding
possible toxic ef ects.
12.16 Conclusion
Today, metal nanoparticles have inl uenced many scientists due to their
extensive applications in new technologies in dif erent i elds like medi-
cine, optics, electronics, chemistry and biotechnology. Nanoparticles are
very much dif erent and improved than their corresponding bulk mate-
rial, actually due to their very small size their surface area-to-volume
ratio increases due to which their physical and chemical properties are
quite dif erent and enhanced. We have seen that besides many physical
and chemical methods which have been developed for preparing metal
nanoparticles, nanobiotechnology also serves as an important method in
the development of nontoxic and eco-friendly processes for synthesizing
nanoparticles. Hence, biosynthesis of MNPs present a promising route
for MNPs production. It has been shown that metal nanoparticles can be
synthesized by using microorganisms, and microbial nanoparticles have
been observed in numerous fungal and bacterial species. h e most recent
researchhas shownthat nanoparticles can also be beautifully synthesized
by using plant extract. Nanoparticles have really proven their potential
applications in each and every i eld, such as in agriculture,where nanopar-
ticles have shown the potential to replace insecticides and pesticides and
are becoming a boon for curing a number of plant diseases; similarly they
are used as food packaging material in many food industries to reduce
microbial contamination in food products, andare showing a revolution-
ary response in the i eld of biomedical applications in drug delivery, cancer
therapy, dentistry and many more.
Last but not the least, even though nanoparticles are of utmost impor-
tance in today's technological world, every coin have two sides; in the same
way, although nanoparticles are very useful in all i elds, they are also harm-
ful to humans and other living beings in other ways. h erefore, while using
them, we must examine the toxicity of particular MNPs towards the target
on which they are applied, and for this a complete knowledge of its bio-
compatibility and toxicity is required.
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