Plant biomass-derived nanomaterials for biosensing and bioimaging applications

Nanotechnology has revolutionized the biomedical frontier by offering innovative diagnostic and therapeutic solutions to existing or emerging diseases. However, the physicochemical synthesis of nanostructures demands an eco-friendly, cost-effective, and sustainable way of nanomaterial synthesis. Plant biomass-derived nanomaterials are more biocompatible, eco-friendly and promote sustainability as these harness the natural capabilities of plants to act as reducing and stabilizing agents. This review prospects different plant biomass-based nanomaterials synthesized utilizing plant-derived precursors to minimize environmental impact. In biosensing, these nanostructures have proven their value and exhibited high performance equivalent to the physiochemically synthesized nanomaterials for health and environmental monitoring. Their crucial role in therapeutic applications and diverse bioimaging modalities like fluorescence, magnetic resonance, photoacoustic, and computed tomography have further endorsed their potential. Integration into theragnostics and multimodal imaging reveals fresh avenues for personalized medicine. This review provides a comprehensive summary of recent advancements of plant-derived nanomaterials for diagnostics and therapeutics. It also discusses the associated challenges of scalability, reproducibility, and stability that acts as a propelling force to conduct further research and unlock the full potential of these nanomaterials. • Plant biomass derived nanoparticles as ecofriendly and sustainable alternate is discussed. • Diverse plant biomass derived nanomaterials are extensively explored. • Advancements in diagnostics and bioimaging applications of plant biomass derived nanoparticles are outlined. • Opportunities, constraints and future prospects for these nanostructures are presented.