"Metal nanoparticles are proposed as one of the most promising theranostic agents for the treatment of cancer. Thus, metals including iron, gold (Au), silver (Ag), zinc (Zn), and titanium, have potential as anticancer agents, either inherently or as a result of surface modifications."
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1359644615001993
"Nanotechnology presents a new frontier for cancer treatment. It holds potential in minimizing systemic toxicity through the development of functionalized particles for targeted treatment."
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29577855/
Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Induces Apoptosis in Human Breast Cancer Cells via Caspase-8 and P53 Pathway
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332272740_Zinc_Oxide_Nanoparticles_Induces_Apoptosis_in_Human_Breast_Cancer_Cells_via_Caspase-8_and_P53_Pathway
"In this study, for the first time, we demonstrated that zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were able to target multiple cell types of cancer, including cancer cells, cancer stem cells (CSCs), and macrophages, and simultaneously perform several key functions, including inhibition of cancer proliferation, sensitization of drug-resistant cancer, prevention of cancer recurrence and metastasis, and resuscitation of cancer immunosurveillance."
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29076344/
"Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) have shown promise in various biomedical applications including utility as anti-cancer agents"
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32042215/
"It has recently been demonstrated that zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) induce death of cancerous cells whilst having no cytotoxic effect on normal cells"
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3118687/
"Zinc supplements can significantly inhibit the proliferation of esophageal cancer cells, according to a new study."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170928121656.htm
"We reveal a novel epigenetic mechanism for anticancer effects of nZnO in bladder cancer cells under low-dose exposure."
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32184598/
"ZnO NPs selectively induce apoptosis in cancer cells, which is likely to be mediated by reactive oxygen species via p53 pathway, through which most of the anticancer drugs trigger apoptosis. This study provides preliminary guidance for the development of liver cancer therapy using ZnO NPs."
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22393286
Silver nanoparticles selectively treat triple-negative breast cancer cells without affecting non-malignant breast epithelial cells in vitro and in vivo
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32123812/
"Due to their novel properties, silver nanoparticles are considered potentially ideal for cancer therapy. In recent years, numerous studies have claimed that silver nanoparticles can be successfully used as antitumor agents due to their antiproliferative and apoptosis-inducing properties. Both in vivo and in vitro tests have been performed on various types of cancer cells in order to correlate the physical properties of nanosilver and the administered doses with a satisfactory effect on tumor and the healthy tissues surrounding it."
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780323428637000025
"scientists demonstrated in laboratory experiments that silver nano-particles, when used alone or in combination with conventional therapies (including chemo- and radio-therapy) can kill various cancer cells"
https://www.cancertreatmentsresearch.com/a-silver-bullet-to-kill-cancer/
"Scientists have succeeded in killing tumor cells in mice using nano-sized copper compounds together with immunotherapy. After the therapy, the cancer did not return."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200109105513.htm
"There was an immediate induction of cellular damage in terms of loss of cell membrane integrity, oxidative stress and apoptosis were found in the cell which treated with AgNPs. This may be a first report on anti-MCF-7 property of biogenic AgNPs in the fourth generation of nanoparticles research. It is necessary to study the formulation and clinical trials to establish the nano drug to treat cancer cells."
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23434696
Iron nanoparticles make immune cells attack cancer
https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2016/09/iron-nanoparticles-make-immune-cells-attack-cancer.html
Iron oxide nanoparticles inhibit tumour growth by inducing pro-inflammatory macrophage polarization in tumour tissues
https://www.nature.com/articles/nnano.2016.168
New method to treat cancer with iron oxide nanoparticles
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200210/New-method-to-treat-cancer-with-iron-oxide-nanoparticles.aspx
Au nanoparticles target cancer
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1748013207700166
"This work demonstrated that ultrasmall gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) smaller than 10 nm display unique advantages over nanoparticles larger than 10 nm in terms of localization to, and penetration of, breast cancer cells, multicellular tumor spheroids, and tumors in mice."
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22540892/