DEVELOPMENT OF GOLD NANOPART1CLE LYSOZYME AGGREGATES FOR DRUG DELIVERY

Abstract

When it comes to combating cancer, nanomedicine has opened up new avenues for cancer diagnosis and therapy. Advantages like targeted drug delivery, non immunogenicity and less side effects proved to be cornerstones in cancer therapy and diagnosis. Different nanoparticles like polymers, Quantum dots (QDs), metals and metallic ions are being used in field of cancer research. One of the famous metallic nanoparticles are Gold nanoparticles (GNPs), because of their unusual optical properties (surface plasma resonance), biocompatibility, non cytotoxicity and ease of synthesis it can be use in biomedical fields like bioimaging, hyperthermia and drug delivery. From different methods available for synthesis of GNPs, green synthesis is best used as it doesn't require any toxic chemical reagents rendering it an ceo friendly method and also GNPs are of uniform size and stable for longer duration. GNPs with proteins can act as a carrier for both hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs. From plethora of proteins available lysozyme a small secretory protein present in tears, saliva and mucus is being widely used. Its main application is cleavage of glycosidic bonds in bacterial cell wall but it also has application in drug delivery especially in anti inflammatory drugs because of ease of conjugation with drugs, renal uptake and biodegradability. When lysozyme interacts with GNPs aggregation takes place which is characterized by change iii colour and red shift in absorption spectra. GNPs-lysozyme aggregate have the potential of being used as nanocarrier for drug. One of the old anthelmintics drug niclosamide which was previously used for worm infection has been applied as anti cancer drug. Though its mechanism of action against cancer cells is not well known but it is believed that it disrupts some of the cancer cell's cell signal pathways and result in cell death. By considering all the prospects of cancer therapy niclosamide loaded GNPs-lysozyme aggregate is showing great potential in curbing this disease by providing a new option in the field of cancer therapy.