Biogenic nanoparticles: Understanding their potential role in cancer theranostics

Cancer has been a disease that is responsible for the maximum number of deaths around the globe. Despite so many drugs and available treatments, researchers aim to find a more efficient treatment modality with target-specificity and less toxicity. Nanotechnology has promising potential in the development of such drugs. Nanomaterials are smaller in size, possess large surface area and some very unique properties that could potentiate their usage in the cancer treatment. This review aims to impart information on the latest development in the biomedical application of biogenic nanoparticles (NPs) in preventing, diagnosis, and cancer therapy. The authors intend to give insight into developing bio-based nano-systems to warrant their use for increased specific targeting of the cancerous cells. Indeed, biogenic NPs hold great promise in cancer theranostics, offering potential advancements in both diagnosis and treatment. Key future directions include optimizing synthesis for enhanced stability and targeting, combining NPs with gene or immunotherapy for multi-modal approaches, and integrating them with advanced imaging technologies. Scaling up production while maintaining cost-effectiveness and sustainability will be essential for clinical translation. • Cancer cases are becoming humongous and efficient treatment are still being explored. • Nanobiotechnology has grappled the situation and thus favored in cancer theranostics. • Bio-nanoparticles synthesized using plants, algae are being used to combat cancer. • They generate ROS, activate caspase, and fragments DNA, thereby restricting tumour. • QDs, MOFs, and Biomimetic, and Carbon-based NPs have proven advantageous in recent reports.