The free radical is obviously very reactive, but the production of free radical requires homolytic fission of a species which may be linked to the protein. ROS may also be produced and may cause damage to the cell. The mechanism of action of silver nanoparticles with different cell lines is not yet clear, but it appears as if they adhere to the surface of bacterial cells leading to their mortality. Conclusions The currently available information on nanomaterials suggests that it has great potential application in agri-food sectors, cosmetics (TiO2, ZnO, fullerene, Fe2O3 Cu, Ag, Romidepsin supplier Au) catalyst (NiO, Pt, Pd) lubricants, fuel additives (CeO2,

Pt, MoS3), paints and coatings (TiO2, SiO2, Ag, CdSe), agro-chemicals (SiO2), food packaging (Ag, TiO2. ZnO, TiN, nanoclay) nanomedicine and nanocarriers (Ag, Fe, magnetic materials). Nanotechnology offers a new range of benefits to food chain and human health by increasing the taste and flavour and reducing the amount of salt intake and fat thereby increasing the absorption and bioavailability of nutrients/supplements. Over 200 companies are GS 1101 conducting R&D into the application of nanotechnology in almost all areas. It has been estimated that about 150 applications of nanotechnology in food are at developmental stages and over 500 patents are in the pipeline. It is therefore anticipated that the use of nanotechnology will

brighten the future prospect and enhance our knowledge with drastic reduction in the cost of nano-based food and medicines. In conclusion, emphasis had been given to the phytosynthesis of nanoparticles from plant extract

and their application in agriculture for substantial increase in biomass, fruit and crop yield especially in edible plants and vegetables such as cucumber, spinach, cabbage, radish, carrot, bitter Tyrosine-protein kinase BLK melon and tomato. Many precious metals are also used as nanocatalyst to increase the production and decrease the cost. The drug delivery by nanomaterials is more important as the drug is quickly transported to the target cell without damaging the normal cells. Many nanomaterials are also essential plant nutrients and may therefore be absorbed to supplement deficiency in living system. Since with the minimum quantity of nanomaterial maximum yield is obtained, the disposal of nanomaterials will not create an environmental problem. This review is relevant in the present day scenario when there is an urgent need of enhanced food grain production to overcome its scarcity and to treat fatal diseases like cancer and AIDS. Acknowledgements The authors are thankful to the publishers for the permission to adopt their figures for this review. References 1. Maynard AD, Aitken RJ, Butz T, Colvin V, Donaldson K, Oberdörster G, Philbert MA, Ryan J, Seaton A, Stone V, Tinkle SS, Tran L, Walker NJ, Warheit DB: Safe handling of nanotechnology. Nature 2006, 444:267–269. 2.