Medical Applications of Metallic Bismuth Nanoparticles

Catherine Gomez (1) , Gauthier Hallot (1) , Sophie Laurent (2) , Marc Port (1)

1 GBCM - Laboratoire Génomique, bioinformatique et chimie moléculaire
2 NMR Laboratory, Université de Mons

Recent reviews described the efficient syntheses of metallic bismuth nanoparticles. Nevertheless, few studies have been published on the medical applications of these nanoparticles compared to the number of studies on the well-documented clinical use of the bismuth(III) complex. An analysis of the literature revealed the significant potential of metallic bismuth nanoparticles in different theranostic applications. In the diagnostic field, preclinical proofs of concept have been demonstrated for X-ray, photoacoustic and fluorescence imaging. In the therapeutic field, several preclinical studies have shown the potential of bismuth nanoparticles as X-ray radiosensitizers for use in radiotherapy and as photothermal agents for applications in near infrared phototherapy. The properties of these metallic bismuth nanoparticles as bactericidal, fungicidal, antiparasitic and antibiofilm agents have also been studied. Although information concerning the toxic effects of these nanoparticles has been collected, these data are insufficient when considering the immediate clinical use of these new nanoparticles.

Mots clés: biocompatibility; theranostic agents; nanoparticles; bismuth

Domaines: Chimie

Catherine Gomez, Gauthier Hallot, Sophie Laurent, Marc Port. Medical Applications of Metallic Bismuth Nanoparticles. Pharmaceutics, 2021, 13 (11), pp.1793. ⟨10.3390/pharmaceutics13111793⟩. ⟨hal-03414149⟩