Vitamin—Conjugated Metallic Nanoparticles: Applications for Antimicrobial and Anti-Cancer Drug Delivery

TL;DR

This paper reviews vitamin-conjugated metallic nanoparticles for drug delivery, focusing on their potential in treating infections and cancer with improved targeting and reduced side effects.

Contribution

The paper provides a comprehensive review of the synthesis, activity, and clinical translation of vitamin-conjugated metallic nanoparticles in nanomedicine.

Findings

Vitamin conjugation improves drug targeting and biocompatibility of metallic nanoparticles.

VC-MNPs show enhanced antimicrobial and anti-cancer efficacy through improved cellular uptake and redox balance.

Challenges include nanoparticle stability, toxicity, and regulatory hurdles for clinical translation.

Abstract

Vitamin-conjugated metallic nanoparticles (VC-MNPs) have emerged as a transformative platform in nanomedicine that combine the therapeutic potential of vitamins with the structural versatility of metal nanoparticles. They offer a dual advantage of targeted drug delivery and enhanced therapeutic efficacy, enabling precise intervention against infectious and malignant diseases. Vitamin conjugation facilitates receptor-mediated targeting, antioxidant enhancement, and improved biocompatibility, thereby strengthening therapeutic outcomes and reducing off-target effects. This review critically evaluates how vitamin functionalization modulates the synthesis, activity, and clinical translation of VC-MNPs. Diverse synthesis methods including chemical reduction, co-precipitation, sol–gel, and green approaches are evaluated, along with the influence of synthesis parameters on nanoparticle performance. The mechanisms underlying enhanced antimicrobial and anti-cancer efficacy are discussed, highlighting the contributions of vitamin functionalization to cellular uptake, redox balance and metabolic selectivity. Critical challenges in clinical translation are systematically assessed, including nanoparticle stability under physiological conditions, potential toxicity concerns, regulatory approval pathways, and manufacturing scalability requirements. Finally, the paper considers future perspectives, focusing on synthesis innovations, novel therapeutic targets, interdisciplinary collaborations, and pathways for clinical translation. Overall, VC-MNPs represent a promising next-generation platform for precision nanomedicine and sustainable therapeutic design.

Figures