Gold Nanoparticles: Promising Nanomaterials for the Diagnosis of Cancer and HIV/AIDS

Table 1

Current application of AuNPs in cancer diagnosis and their advantages.

AuNPs: size and functionalization	Conjugated/Targeted	Type of cancer	Techniques/Methods	Advantages	Ref.
25 nm	anti-EGFR	Precervical cancer	Illumination microscopy, combined with novel contrast agents	Powerful tool for detecting cellular and molecular changes	[78]
PEG-modified AuNPs	Herceptin (HER)	Breast cancer cells	Molecular imaging	Promising imaging technique for early detection of cancer	[79]
15 nm	anti-EGFR	Oral cancer	SERS	Saliva-based assay for early diagnosis of oral cancer	[80]
60–80 nm pegylated	ScFv (single-chain variable fragment)	Head-and-neck	SERS	Optical and EM probes for tumor detection	[81]
Au nanorods	anti-EGFR	Oral squamous cell carcinoma	SERS	Bioimaging and cancer biodiagnostics	[82]
45 nm * 15 nm Au nanorod	Her-2/neu antigen	Prostate cancer detection	Contrast photoacoustic imaging	Visual tool for molecular and structural information	[83]
15 nm	F19 monoclonal antibodies	Pancreatic adenocarcinoma	Light scattering, size exclusion chromatography, and TEM	Novel labeling method	[84]
20 nm	Aptamer	Leukemia and lymphoma	Spectroscopic method	Early and accurate detection of cancer	[85]
Oval shaped (14 nm length and 18 nm width)	anti-HER2/c erb-2 antibody and aptamers	Breast cancer	Colorimetric and two-photon scattering	Rapid and highly sensitive	[86]
AuNPs (size not known)	Tag-PC-3	Prostate cancer	Photoacoustic waves	Detect single cells under flow condition	[87]
Au functionalized with PEG (90 nm)	EGF-ligand and tag Raman receptor	Circulation tumor	SERS	New clinical tool for management of patients with SCCHN	[69]
15±2 nm	anti-CA15-3-HRP antibody	Breast cancer	ELISA	Cancer biomarker detection	[88]
20 nm	cationic protein kinase C (PKC-alpha) peptide	Breast cancer	GNP-based colorimetric assay	Initial screening during cancer diagnosis	[89]
100 to 150 nm	anticarcinoembryonic antibody	Cancer	ELISA	Early diagnosis of cancer	[90]
30 nm (±10)–150.5 (±30.4) nm	ENO1 antibody	Lung cancer	Electrochemical-based immune sensor	Quantitative tests protein and cancer biomarkers	[19]
15 nm	Functionalized glassy carbon electrode (GCE)	Lung and liver cancer, drug-sensitive leukemia cells, and drug-resistant leukemia	Electrochemical and contact angle measurements	Rapid identification and highly sensitive detection for cancer	[70]
Hollow Au nanospheres (thicknes 45–12 and 15–5 nm)	pAb and mAb anti-CEA antibodies,	MCF7 cells	SERS immunoassay technique	Novel immunoassay technique	[91]
35 nm	anti-EGFR	Oral epithelial living cancer	SPR	Useful molecular biosensor	[92]
Au DENPs	folic acid (FA), and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FI)	Epithelial cancer	Imaging	Imaging and therapeutics	[93]
20 nm	Heparin-DOPA coated	Liver cells-specific CT imaging	Imaging	Potential CT imaging	[94]

AuNps: Au nanoparticles, EGFR: endothelial growth factor receptor, HER: human epidermal growth factor receptor, Her2: human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, EGF: endothelial growth factor, ScFv: single-chain variable fragment, SERS: surface enhance Raman scattering, SPR: surface plasmon resonance, TEM: tanning electron microscope, SCCHN: squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, ELISA: enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay, ENO1: alpha-enolase, GCE: glassy carbon electrode, pAb: polyclonal antibody, mAb: monoclonal antibody, Au DENPs: AuNPs-capped dendrimers, PEG: poly ethylene glycol, DOPA: 3,4-dihydroxy-phenylalanine, CT: computed tomography, CA15-3-HRP: signaling antibody anti-CA15-3-HRP (horseradish peroxidase), PC-3: prostate cancer cells, CEA: carcinoembryonic antigen.