. 2022 Jan 29;62(2):167–174. doi: 10.1007/s12088-022-01001-4

Table 2.

Different potential nanotherapeutic treatments used for various biotechnological applications

Function	Type of Nanoparticles	Characteristics of Nanoparticles	References
Antibacterial agents	AgNPs	Inhibition of cell wall synthesis	[5, 6]
		Cellular uptake of silver ions,
		Generation of reactive oxygen species
		Cascade of intracellular mechanism
		Disrupting protein and nucleic acid synthesis
	AuNPs	Efficient photothermal therapy with reactive oxygen species	[3] [53]
	AuNPs	Photoacoustic effect, membrane disintegrity, enzyme inhibition	[3] [53]
	CuNPs	Penetration of bacterial cell wall	[38]
	CuNPs	Release and accumulation of copper ions which subsequently bind with DNA and damage its helical structure	[38]
Antifungal agents	Chitosan NPs	Interaction with negatively charged groups of lipopolysccharides and proteins on the surface of microbial cells	[48]
		Disintegration of cell membrane, inhibit mRNA and protein synthesis
		Inhibition of sporulation and germination of spores
		Interfering with activity of growth promoting hormones
	ZnO NPs	Augmented activity against dermatophyte infections	[45]
	ZnO NPs	Synergistic antifungal effect in combination with other antifungal drugs	[45]
	Lipid NPs	Less cytotoxicity and prolonged circulation time	[45]
	Lipid NPs	Improves drug concentration in epidermis and minimizes cutaneous irritation	[45]
Suncreen	TiO₂NPs	Augmented UVB light absorbing capacity	[1]
	ZnO NPs	Absorb and scatter visible light thus provides optimal transparency, broad spectrum activity against UVA and UVB
	Ultrasomes	Endonuclease enzyme entrapped in specialized liposome, capable of detecting damaged DNA and initiates its removal	[1]
	Ultrasomes	Helps in stimulating production of melanin by melanocyte	[1]
	Photosomes	Specialized liposomal structure encapsulating photolyase	[1]
	Photosomes	Releases photo-activated enzyme, capable of repairing skin’s DNA damaged due to UV exposure	[1]
Anti-ageing	Niosomes	Increased stability of entrapped drugs formulations improved bioavailability of poorly absorbed drugs and enhanced skin penetration	[60]
	Ultrasomes	Specialized liposomal structure capable of boosting skin’s natural collagen production to retain elasticity, repair cellular damage
	Nanoemulsion	Transport beneficial bioactive ingredients in high concentrations deep into the skin for pronounced effects	[61]
Cancer Therapy and Diagnosis	Superparamagnetic Iron oxide NPs	Used in magenetic resonance imaging (MRI) with cancer cell lines with exceptionally	[41]
	Quantum Dots	Emit fluorescence in near infra red region making it suitable for colorectal cancer and lymphoma
	Quantum Dots	High tissue penetration depth and higher spatial and temporal resolution
	AuNPs	Good contrast agent due to small size, good biocompatibility and high atomic number	[3]
	Carbon nanotubes	Non-invasive penetration of biofilms	[32]
	Carbon nanotubes	Delivery of various drug molecules into living cells	[32]
	Polymeric nanoparticles	Favourable pharmacokinetic profile	[1]
	Polymeric nanoparticles	Well-tolerable toxicities	[1]
Cleansing agent	Nanoemulsions and Micelles	Preserves and protects skin barrier integrity due to reduction in trans epidermal water loss	[1]
Cleansing agent	Nanoemulsions and Micelles	Removes skin soil with high efficiency	[1]
Phototherapy	Fullerene	Increased anti-tumor effect in a dose dependent manner for C60 and high	[1]
		fluence intensity
		Reactive oxygen species generation with low level laser irradiation
		Tolerable toxicities
	Carbon nanotubes	Exceptional thermal behaviour on getting activated by suitable light source	[32]
		Prolong blood circulation time
		Enhanced biocompatibility and less aggregation, thus a good ablation agent
	Graphene nanoparticles	Strong optical absorption in near infrared spectrum	[33]
	Graphene nanoparticles	High surface activity	[33]