Biomolecule-Assisted Synthesis of Water-Soluble Silver Nanoparticles and Their Biomedical Applications

Abstract

The application of nanoparticles in the biomedical field is an exciting interdisciplinary research area in current materials science. In the present study, size-tunable and water-soluble noble metal silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) have been successfully synthesized with the assistance of glutathione (GSH). The as-synthesized Ag NPs are ready to bind covalently with a model protein (bovine serum albumin) in mild conditions. The optical property of surface-modifiable Ag NPs was extremely sensitive to their size and the surface modification, suggesting a potential in the biomedical analysis and detection. Furthermore, Ag NPs with an average diameter of ca. 6 nm effectively suppress the proliferation of human leukemic K562 cells in the dose- and time-dependent manners, suggesting the promising potential of Ag NPs in cancer therapy.