Copper-Based Nanoparticles as Antibacterial Agents

Over the past few decades, the resistance of different pathogenic bacteria to various antibiotics has gradually increased. In order to solve the problems of this modern era, metal nanoparticles have attracted more attention than ever. Copper has been recognized as a non-toxic, safe inorganic material and cheap antibacterial or antifungal agent, showing potential antibacterial effect in many biomedical fields. This interest has accelerated the generation of many novel methods for the synthesis of copper-based nanoparticles. Due to the non-toxicity and safety requirements of antibacterial agents, the recent green synthesis of copper-based nanoparticles is gradually replacing the traditional methods. In addition, the antibacterial mechanism of copper-based nanoparticles has provoked great curiosity. This review summarizes the synthetic methods, the possible antibacterial mechanisms and applications of copper-based nanoparticles. Additionally, the application prospects of copper-based nanoparticle antibacterial agent in biomedical applications and clinical field have been described and discussed.