A Review on Green Synthesis of Metallic Nanoparticles by Using Plant Extracts and Their Role in Cancer

Abstract

Cancer is one of the deadliest diseases that have a significant negative impact on the world’s enormous population. The chemotherapeutic medicines used in the treatment of cancer spread throughout the body causing general toxicity, poor patient compliance and even treatment cessation. This makes it difficult to deliver therapeutic agents to tumour cells with precision. Advancements in the field of medical science are being uplifted by the development of nanotechnology, which provides tremendous solutions to deal with such life-threatening diseases. Nanoparticles (NP) synthesised for medical purposes need to be biocompatible and low- or non-toxic. Therefore, the green generation of NPs is emerging as an alternative approach to physical and chemical methods. This study reviews the use of plants to synthesise these NPs. These are more stable than those synthesised from other biological sources. These NPs can be synthesised by using different metals such as gold (Au), silver (Ag), zinc (Zn), platinum (Pt), etc. Plant-derived green-manufactured Metallic Nanoparticles (MNPs) are extensively utilised in medicine as antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenic and anti-cancer agents. Therefore, this review aims to study different green synthesised MNPs, their synthesis method, characterisation and their role in cancer therapy.