Atomically precise gold nanoclusters for healthcare applications

The potential application of gold nanoparticles(GNPs)in biomedicine has been extensively reported.However,there is still too much puzzle about their real face and potential health risks in comparison with the commercial drug molecules.The emergence of atomically precise gold nanoclusters(APGNCs)provides the opportunity to address the puzzle due to their ultrasmall size,defined molecular formula,editable surface engineering,available structures and unique physicochemical properties including excellent biocompatibility,strong luminescence,enzyme-like activity and efficient renal clearance,et al.Recently,these advantages of APGNCs also endow them promising performances in healthcare such as bioimaging,drug delivery,antibacterial and cancer therapy.Especially,their clear composition and structures like the commercial drug molecules facilitate the study of their functions and the structure-activity relationship in healthcare,which is essential for the guided design of APGNC nanomedicine.Therefore,this review will focus the advantages and recent progress of APGNCs in health care and envision their prospects for the future.