Antidiabetic nanotherapeutics of bioengineered silver and gold nanomaterials: a state‐of‐the‐art review

Diabetes is a global health challenge that significantly reduces quality of life and poses serious risks to human health. Despite advancements in medicine, current antidiabetic treatments often fail to effectively control the disease, particularly given the increasing prevalence of diabetes worldwide. This situation highlights the urgent need for innovative therapeutic approaches. Nanobiotechnology has emerged as a promising field for the eco-friendly production of nanosized metal-based particles with potential biomedical applications. Among these nanoparticles (NPs), biosynthesized colloidal silver and gold particles have attracted considerable interest due to their unique physicochemical properties and broad-spectrum biological activities. These nanostructures are created using biological resources such as plant extracts, algae, and microbes, resulting in particles with various sizes and shapes. Recent studies, including both in vitro and in vivo models, have explored the antidiabetic potential of these NPs. This review offers a comprehensive evaluation of the existing evidence, emphasizing their ability to inhibit key enzymes involved in diabetes (α-amylase and α-glucosidase) and to improve critical biomarkers in animal models. Notably, treatment with these NPs resulted in reductions in blood glucose and HbA1C levels, as well as increased insulin levels in diabetic animals. These findings indicate that bioengineered silver and gold nanomaterials can be considered innovative candidates for antidiabetic nanotherapeutics after future safety investigations.