Smart Platinum Nanostructures: A Journey from Synthesis to Advanced Theranostic Applications

Abstract

A significant paradigm shift has been observed in the past decade in the area of theranostics owing to the development of various isotropic and anisotropic metal nanostructures, simultaneous with improved imaging modalities. Platinum-based nanostructures are advancing in a plethora of clinical applications as theranostics tools owing to their unique behavior concerning their size, shape, and surface chemistry at the nanoscale regime. Platinum nanostructures are optically active and provide significant potential to the field of theranostics by simplifying diagnosis and therapeutics, thus providing key solutions through nano-enabled technologies. The review emphasizes the potential of platinum nanostructures that have immense potential in vitro and in vivo scenarios as nanocarriers. Still, their potential in terms of photothermal active agents has not been well explored or reported. Nanotheranostics has emerged as a platform where various noble metal nanoparticles are effectively efficient as photothermal agents in bringing precision to therapy and diagnostics. Platinum, as an antioxidant and a stable nanocarrier, will enable them to act as photosensitizers when conjugated to affinity molecules and plays a key role in efficient treatment and diagnosis. The review envisions bringing together the possibilities of the safe-by-design synthesis of platinum nanostructures and their potential role in both in vitro and in vivo applications. A roadmap describing the challenges, pitfalls, and possibilities of influencing platinum nanostructures to overcome the existing biological/targeting barriers is elaborated. This review provides a literature survey on platinum nanostructures in theranostics, providing novel strategies in bio-imaging, diagnostics, and nanomedicine.