A review on the biotechnological aspects of utilizing engineered nanoparticles as delivery systems in plants

Abstract Whether engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) are a boon or bane for mankind has been a topic of intense debate and serious consideration for the last few decades, but in the recent years much research has gone into the development of nanoparticles for the benefit of society: hybrid ENPs and special nanoforms were designed to augment their usage in biomedical, pharmaceutical, biotechnological and agricultural sectors. To support a burgeoning population, on one hand cheap safer sources of delivery of medicinal and therapeutic molecules become necessary, for example, portage of the genes and the vectors for the eradication of perilous diseases like cancer, and, on the other hand improvement of agriculture and food safety, with emphasis on a solution on the worrisome issue of ever increasing hunger and life-style diseases are also needs of the hour, bringing focus to the development of non-invasive safer procedures for increase in food production. Since the traditional methodologies used to achieve these targets are cumbersome and time consuming, it is here that the modern approaches, like, specially formulated nanoforms, come to help. Because of their exquisite intrinsic properties, they act as perfect carriers/vectors and encapsulators for many short-lived, fickle and unstable compounds, like, pesticides, insecticides, fertilizers, enhancers and hormones, thus increasing their stability, reactivity and augmenting their modes of action. In this review, the authors have discussed the current scenario in the development, mechanism and state of uses of these specially engineered nanoparticles, and provided an insight into how they are changing the framework for better in the biomedical and agricultural nanotechnology fields.