**10. Conclusions**

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are intensively explored nanostructures for unconventional and enhanced biomedical applications, thanks to their size-related attractive physicochemical properties and biological functionality, including their high antimicrobial efficiency and non-toxic nature. AgNP-based nanosystems and nanomaterials are suitable alternatives for drug delivery, wound dressing, tissue scaffold, and protective coating applications. Various physicochemical parameters were related to the intrinsic antimicrobial effects exhibited by AgNPs, such as size, shape, concentration, surface charge, and colloidal state. Moreover, the impressive available surface of nanosilver allows the coordination of many ligands, thus enabling tremendous possibilities with respect to the surface functionalization of AgNPs.

There is a significant amount of research data proving the beneficial effects of AgNPs in novel biocompatible and nanostructured materials and devices developed for modern therapeutic strategies. In addition to their attractive and versatile antimicrobial potential, AgNPs provide additional mechanical, optical, chemical, and biological peculiarities that recommend them for the design, obtaining, evaluation, and clinical assessment of performance-enhanced biomaterials and medical devices. Still, thorough investigations regarding their short-term and long-term toxicity, as well as the responsible toxic-related mechanisms, are required.

The current limitations related to conventional healthcare practice and the latest challenges resulting from nanosilver-based technology outline the impressive potential of silver nanoparticles in biomedicinal applications. Whether we consider the modification of available biomaterials and devices or the development of novel nanostructured ones, AgNPs are ideal candidates for achieving the very close modern biomedicine desideratum.

**Author Contributions:** A.-C.B., O.G., A.M.G., L.M., A.F., and E.A. designed and wrote the paper.

**Acknowledgments:** This work was supported by a gran<sup>t</sup> from the Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research and Innovation, UEFISCDI, project number 45PCCDI/2018-Nanostructuri bioactive pentru strategii terapeutice inovatoare.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest.
