Application of Nano Silver in Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

As a precious metal, silver has excellent bactericidal properties and strong tissue repair effects. It has been used in medical and public health fields for more than 6000 years. After the Silver Nanoparticle is granulated, its optical and electrophysical properties have changed greatly, and it has an incomparable advantage over other metals. Based on these advantages, scientists have conceived and developed some new technologies in cancer diagnosis and treatment.

The application of nano silver in cancer diagnosis:

Due to the insidious incidence of cancer, there are often no obvious symptoms in the early stage, and the current imaging technology is not enough to detect extremely small cancer lesions. As a result, the patient has reached the middle and late stage when he sees the doctor and missed the best treatment time. The perfect combination of the superior optical properties of nano-silver and modern imaging technology makes early diagnosis possible.

The optical properties of nano-silver are manifested in two aspects:

1. Surface plasmon resonance phenomenon. Using this feature, Nano Silver can be used as a tracer atom to target cancer lesions, so that the lesion can be imaged. Conventional optical instruments can detect nano silver and find early cancer lesions.

2. Surface enhanced Raman scattering effect. This feature of nano silver can detect the molecules and structures in cells, so as to find cancer cells for early intervention and treatment. At present, nanosilver particles modified with silica are used to trace tumor markers, which are located in all tissues including whole blood.

The application of nano silver in cancer treatment:

1. Kill cancer cells directly. Nano silver is cytotoxic to abnormally proliferating cells. It can induce macrophages to produce a large amount of reactive oxygen species and reduce the level of glutathione, thereby activating the oxidative stress process of cancer cells, leading to the oxidation of proteins and lipids in the cells. At the same time, the function of mitochondria is seriously damaged, resulting in the death of cancer cells; in addition, nano silver can also change the fluidity of the cell membrane of cancer cells, thereby inhibiting the proliferation of cancer cells.

2. As a carrier of tumor treatment drugs, target to eliminate cancer cells. Nano-silver can act on the cell membrane of cancer cells. Under the condition of laser heating, it can enhance the activity of intracellular lysozyme, increase the permeability of the cell membrane, and deliver the drug into the cell. At the same time, the surface activity of nano-silver is unstable and easy Control, it can be modified, plus molecular clusters with targeting effect, to eliminate cancer cells at specific points, but does not work on normal cells.

3. Application in plasma photothermal therapy and radiotherapy. Plasma photothermal treatment can kill cancer cells while damaging normal tissue cells around it, limiting its clinical application. The powerful cross-section of nano silver particles has a good adsorption effect on light and heat. The excellent surface plasmon resonance phenomenon makes the electrons on the surface of nano silver absorb energy to form a kind of heating electron gas, which instantly transfers heat to cancer cells. The protein in cancer cells is denatured, killing cancer cells. Greatly reduce the damage to surrounding normal tissue cells. It has been reported that nano silver can be used as a sensitizer for radiotherapy.

With the development of nanotechnology, Nano Silver Wire, an ancient and mysterious metal, will surely make new contributions to mankind.