Current Trends and Prospects for Application of Green Synthesized Metal Nanoparticles in Cancer and COVID-19 Therapies

Londiwe Simphiwe Mbatha; Jude Akinyelu; Chika Ifeanyi Chukwuma; Mduduzi Paul Mokoena; Tukayi Kudanga

doi:10.3390/v15030741

Current Trends and Prospects for Application of Green Synthesized Metal Nanoparticles in Cancer and COVID-19 Therapies

Viruses. 2023 Mar 13;15(3):741. doi: 10.3390/v15030741.

Authors

Londiwe Simphiwe Mbatha¹, Jude Akinyelu², Chika Ifeanyi Chukwuma³, Mduduzi Paul Mokoena⁴, Tukayi Kudanga¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, Durban University of Technology, P.O. Box 1334, Durban 4000, South Africa.
² Department of Biochemistry, Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Private Mail Bag 373, Ekiti State 370111, Nigeria.
³ Centre for Quality of Health and Living, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Central University of Technology, Private Bag X20539, Bloemfontein 9301, South Africa.
⁴ Department of Pathology, Pre-Clinical Sciences Division, University of Limpopo, Private Bag X1106, Sovenga 0727, South Africa.

Abstract

Cancer and COVID-19 have been deemed as world health concerns due to the millions of lives that they have claimed over the years. Extensive efforts have been made to develop sophisticated, site-specific, and safe strategies that can effectively diagnose, prevent, manage, and treat these diseases. These strategies involve the implementation of metal nanoparticles and metal oxides such as gold, silver, iron oxide, titanium oxide, zinc oxide, and copper oxide, formulated through nanotechnology as alternative anticancer or antiviral therapeutics or drug delivery systems. This review provides a perspective on metal nanoparticles and their potential application in cancer and COVID-19 treatments. The data of published studies were critically analysed to expose the potential therapeutic relevance of green synthesized metal nanoparticles in cancer and COVID-19. Although various research reports highlight the great potential of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles as alternative nanotherapeutics, issues of nanotoxicity, complex methods of preparation, biodegradability, and clearance are lingering challenges for the successful clinical application of the NPs. Thus, future innovations include fabricating metal nanoparticles with eco-friendly materials, tailor making them with optimal therapeutics for specific disease targeting, and in vitro and in vivo evaluation of safety, therapeutic efficiency, pharmacokinetics, and biodistribution.

Keywords: COVID-19; cancer; green synthesis; metal nanoparticles; nanotechnology.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

COVID-19*
Humans
Metal Nanoparticles* / therapeutic use
Neoplasms* / drug therapy
Oxides
Tissue Distribution

Substances

Oxides

Grants and funding

This project was funded by the Durban University of Technology and the National Research Foundation, South Africa (grant number UID 138505). Any opinions, findings and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the authors, and therefore, the NRF does not accept any liability in regard thereto.