Fabrication of aerosol-based nanoparticles and their applications in biomedical fields

Abstract

Background: Traditionally, nanoparticles for biomedical applications have been produced via the classical wet chemistry method, with size control remaining a major problem in drug delivery. In recent years, advances in aerosol-based technologies have led to the development of methods that enable the production of nanosized particles and have opened up new opportunities in the field of nano-drug delivery and biomedicine. Aerosol-based technologies have been constantly used to synthesize multifunctional nanoparticles with different properties, which extends their possible biological and medicinal applications. Moreover, aerosol technologies are often more beneficial than other existing approaches because of the major disadvantages of these other techniques.

Area covered: This review provides a brief discussion of the existing aerosol-based nanotechnologies and applications of nanoparticles in a variety of diseases. Various types of nanoparticles, such as graphene oxide, Prussian blue, black phosphorous, gold, copper, silver, tellurium, iron oxide, titania, magnesium oxide, and zinc oxide nanoparticles, prepared using aerosol technologies are discussed in this review. The different tactics used for surface modifications are also outlined. The biomedical applications of nanoparticles in chemotherapy, bacterial/fungal/viral treatment, disease diagnosis, and biological assays are also presented in this review.

Expert opinion: Aerosol-based technologies can be used to design nanoparticles with the desired functionality. This significantly benefits the nanomedicine field, particularly as product parameters are becoming more encompassing and exacting. One of the biggest issues with conventional methods is their scale-up/scale-down and clinical translation. Aerosol-based nanoparticle synthesis helps enhance control over the product properties and facilitate their use for clinical applications.

Keywords: Aerosol; Atomization; Biomedical; Pyrolysis; Spark discharge; Theragnostic.