Application of gold nanoparticles in cancer diagnosis and therapy: A mini-review

Gold metallic nanoparticles have received a great and well-deserved attention due to their wide application in different fields of scientific and technology, especially biological and therapeutic applications such as cancer diagnosis and treatment according to their advantages including biocompatibility, low toxicity, controlling size and shape, easy synthesis, selective accumulation in cancer cells, high activity, and optical properties. The targeted nanocarriers have given new hope in order to the treatment of this disease all over the world. Understanding the medical effects of gold nanoparticles is a key issue for their rational and efficient design. Regarding this issue, the reported studies indicate that the quality of therapy and identification process of diseases has improved according to gold nanoparticles. It is expected that in the near future, these nanomaterials will provide the most fruitful therapeutic results. With this in mind, this mini-review tries to address new targets for cancer cells, new ways to target based on gold nanoparticles as well as stabilizing nanoparticles locally on cancer cells and the resulting degradation of side effects.