Copper sulphide based heterogeneous nanoplatforms for multimodal therapy and imaging of cancer: Recent advances and toxicological perspectives

Inorganic nanostructures have emerged as potential nanoplatforms for cancer therapy and imaging. The clinical translation of mesoporous silica nanoparticles after iron nanoparticles have led to growing interest in these nanoplatforms. The present review presents copper sulphide based nanostructures as a versatile platform for multimodal therapy and imaging of cancer. This review gives a detailed description of various synthesis methods of copper sulphide nanostructures and also discusses the various factors which can help in modulating the morphology of copper sulphide based nanostructures. The article further sheds light on the unique thermal, electronic and optical properties of these nanostructures which holds potential for biomedical applications. The role of copper sulphide nanostructures in serving as therapeutic platforms for cancer therapy has been explained along with alternative therapeutic approaches apart from chemotherapy for cancer including photothermal therapy, photodynamic therapy, radiotherapy and gene therapy. The review also inculcates the potential of copper sulphide nanoplatforms for multimodal imaging ability including MRI, radio-imaging, fluorescence imaging and photoacoustic imaging. The theranostic nanoplatform based on copper sulphide nanostructures have also been overviewed. The role of copper sulphide nanostructures in receptor targeted therapy of cancer has also been discussed in brief for better understanding of its role in targeted cancer therapy. The article gives insight about the toxicological issue associated with cooper sulphide nanoparticles and also provides regarding the recent advancements in copper sulphide nanostructures including nano-heterostructures and metal organic frameworks for future biomedical application.