Publication details
Analysis, Characterization and use of gold nanoparticles: Applications in Bio-analytical chemistry and nano-medicine
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| Year of publication | 2010 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
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| Description | Nano-technology has entered into medicine and many of the nanomaterials have already had a good impact on health care. Among these nanomaterials, gold nanoparticles (GNPs) are receiving a noteworthy attention due to their unique physical, chemical and biological properties which are quite different from the bulk of their counterparts. The use of GNPs and bio-conjugated GNPs in cancer treatment, drug or gene delivery, DNA detection, biomedical imaging including that of brain activity, enhancement of gene regulation, the detection of toxic metals, immuno-assays, disease detection and diagnostics and therapy etc. are well known from the literature [1]. Nanomaterials have been extensively studied in the last few years. For example, in our laboratory our colleagues have recently studied nanodiamonds (NDs) and various clusters [2-4]. Among these nanomaterials, nanoparticles (NPs) are now playing a crucial role in the field of nanotechnology. The interaction of GNPs with the biomolecules such as proteins, peptides, oligonucleotides and drugs is very crucial to understand their reaction mechanism. It is really important to know this information when we inject the GNP-conjugated biomolecules into the human body. So for in-vivo experiments this knowledge is very important. Here we are studying the interaction of GNPs with Acyclovir (ACV), an anti-viral drug. Acyclovir (ACV) is known as acycloguanosine, is a guanosine analogue antiviral drug. Its market trade names are Cyclovir, Herpex, Acyvir, Acyvirax (Mash-Premier), Zovirax, Acyclovir (Sanofi-Aventis) and Zovir (GSK). It is one of the most frequently-used antiviral drugs and mainly it is used for the treatment of herpes simplex virus infections (which causes Herpes disease), as well as in the treatment of Herpes zoster (which causes shingles, a viral disease). The invention of Acyclovir was seen as a start point of a new era in antiviral therapy [5] as it is extremely selective and low in cytotoxicity. Gertrude B. Elion, a pharmacologist was awarded the 1988 Nobel Prize in Medicine, partly for the development of acyclovir and then after for the first time Dr. Richard Whitley from University of Alabama was used this drug successfully in humans. |