Plant-mediated green synthesis of gold nanoparticles and their anticancer applications: an updated review

Due to the wide range of applications in the field of medicine, gold nanoparticles are the most promising agents in nanotechnology with a variety of physical, chemical, optical and mechanical properties. Researchers have been interested in the green synthesis of gold nanoparticles in recent years because of their wide range of applications and low toxicity. The synthesis of gold nanoparticles using plant-mediated extracts has shown the fastest reduction due to the presence of phytoconstituents like phenolic compounds, flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, polyphenols, polysaccharides, etc. Proteins, vitamins and minerals are included in the extracts and act as stabilizing and capping agents. Gold nanoparticles are made from plant extracts and are of natural origin, they are thought to be safer for biomedical uses. In this review, we elaborate about the plant mediated biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles and its biological applications with special emphasize to cancer therapeutics.