Current understanding and achievements on metallic copper and inorganic copper oxide nanomaterials in biomedical and biochemical arena

Abstract Metallic nanoparticles are one of the key compounds that make a tremendous application in biological fields. Copper and Copper based nano-moiety is one of the leading metallic nanoparticles, which exhibit different aspects of biological and chemical applications. In this paper, the authors endeavoured to review Copper and Copper based nanoparticles, their synthesis, and biological and chemical applications, especially emphasising, antimicrobial, anticancer, antioxidant, pharmacological, catalytic activity and in pollution management. The Cu/CuONPs are measured and characterized by various modern techniques like x-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscope and many more techniques such as DTA-TGA (Differential Thermal Analysis, Thermogravimetric Analysis), NTR (nanoparticle tracking analysis) etc. In Biological synthesis, CuNPs have been synthesized with various kinds of bacteria, algae, leaf, and flower extracts which further showed various unexpected biological and chemical applications. In Chemical synthesis, these nanoparticles were formulated under various chemical processes like thermal decomposition, wet chemical methods, sol–gel method etc having some satisfactory outcomes each time. On the other hand, the Cu/CuONPs mediated anti-microbial activity showed great results that these nanoparticles will be next-generation drugs for mankind. Their vast applications against selected human ( Salmonella typhimurium, Shigella flexneri etc ), fish and bacterial pathogens have also been discovered during the research over the time period (such as Vibrio alginolyticus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Aeromonas hydrophila etc ). Copper Nanoparticles have also shown extraordinary results by performing a catalytic activity in the synthesis of different molecules as these are highly active in nature. Copper-based nanoparticles, like CuNPs, CuO NPs, and bioengineered nanocomposites, have strong anticancer effects that depend on their concentration also and overwhelming action against many types of human cancer cell lines. Studies reported Copper-based nanoparticles and nanocomposites showing positive results in pharmacological fields and pollution management.