The emerging roles of arthropods and their metabolites in the green synthesis of metallic nanoparticles

Abstract

Nanotechnology has remained relevant as a multifacet discipline, which cuts across different areas of science and technology. Several successful attempts had been documented regarding the involvement of biological materials in the green synthesis of various metal nanoparticles (MeNPs) because of their eco-friendliness, cost-effectiveness, safe handling, and ultimately less toxicity as opposed to the physical and chemical methods with their concomitant problems. Biological agents, including bacteria, fungi, algae, enzymes, plants, and their extracts, have been implicated in most cases by several authors. Moreover, nanotechnology in recent times has also made an inroad for animal species, specifically arthropods and metabolites thereof to be used as excellent candidates for the green synthesis of MeNPs. The increasing literature on the use of metabolites of arthropods for the green synthesis of nanoparticles has necessitated the need to document a review on their relevance in nanobiotechnology. The review, which represents the first of its kind, seeks to underscore the importance of arthropods in the multidisciplinary subject of nanoscience and nanotechnology.