Potential applications of inorganic silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in parasitic diseases | ||||
| Parasitologists United Journal | ||||
| Article 2, Volume 15, Issue 1, April 2022, Page 5-21 PDF (586.53 K) | ||||
| Document Type: Review Article | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/PUJ.2022.108173.1145 | ||||
 View on SCiNiTO | ||||
| Author | ||||
Maha Gomaa 
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| Medical Parasitology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| Parasitic diseases are globally distributed, leading to considerable morbidity and mortality especially in low and middle-income countries. The current treatment strategies of parasitic infections face hard challenges due to emergence of drug resistance and intolerable side effects. Therefore, the development of novel, safe and effective anti-parasitic agents is urgently required. In this context, nanomaterials represent an efficient tool to overcome the barriers observed in several conventional therapeutics. Nanotechnology has efficiently provided tools enabling structural modifications in chemical compounds, empowering their highly desirable selectivity and specificity. Among them, metal nanoparticles (NPs) have been significantly utilized as an alternative therapeutic approach and/or efficient delivery system in a wide range of parasitic diseases. Due to its extraordinary range of bactericidal properties and therapeutic abilities, AgNPs have become a part of medical management of various diseases. Moreover, a number of plant species successfully employed in AgNPs green synthesis, are ecofriendly efficient alternatives to chemically synthesized NPs. The current review aims to shed light on AgNPs regarding their physiochemical properties, synthesis methods, and potential applications in diagnosis, treatment, and protection against parasitic infections. Concerning the last issue, their insecticidal activities paved the way for prevention of transmission of vector borne parasitic diseases. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| AgNPs; anthelmintic; antiprotozoal; chemical synthesis; diagnosis; green synthesis; insecticidal; in vitro; in vivo | ||||
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