## 1 Introduction  
The size of nanostructures plays a significant role in the optoelectronic industry, with various applications [1]. Nanostructured materials have many different shapes and sizes, classified as zero-dimensional [2], one-dimensional [3], and two-dimensional [4, 5] nanostructures [6], including dots [7], nanoparticles [8], rods [9], tubes, wires, and various other shapes and sizes that influence their physicochemical characteristics [10]. These structures are formed either by physical or chemical means, such as plasma chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD), microwave, sputtering, and a flame-assisted approach [11]. The physical methods are more costly and require greater effort and manpower, compared to the chemical approach [12]. The chemical method is the best and easiest way to achieve nanostructures/nanomaterials (NMs) in bulk amounts via a cost-effective process [13]. Among the various types of metal and metal oxide, the tiny particles of GNPs exhibit fascinating optical, electrical, and chemical properties because of the quantum confinement effect [14]. Gold nanostructures exhibit numerous advantages in different devices, such as lasers [15], transistors [16], photodetectors [17], sensors [18], piezoelectric materials [19], solar cells [20], optoelectronic devices [21], and photocatalysts [22]. In addition, GNPs are used in biomedical engineering [23], cancer treatment [8], biomolecular systems [24], protein folding [25], DNA interaction and detection [26], labeling [27], drug delivery [28], imaging [29, 30], tissue engineering [31], purification and separation of biological molecules, and marker genes [32]. Over a wide range of biomedical and other applications, GNPs are largely utilized to regulate the growth of cancer cells [8]. The uncontrolled proliferation of cells causes cancer, which spreads from normal tissues and affects other parts of the body via the blood and lymph systems [33]. GNPs are used as catalyst materials, with numerous applications in cell biology [34]. Among the various types of cancers, liver cancer is the most common and affects-not only the advanced countries but also developing countries [8; 35]. T Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma account for 85% and 10% of all primary liver cancers, respectively [36]. Approximately 81% of all HCC cases are found in Asia and Africa, with China producing 53% of these cases [37]. A severe concern associated with liver disease is hepatic failure, which occurs when 80-90% of hepatic functional capacity is lost. Generally, hepatic failure results from chronic hepatitis or alcoholic liver, which causes cirrhosis. HCC is generally known as a common malignancy of the liver, and carries a devastating prognosis [38]. However, in most cases it remains undiagnosed until reaching an advanced level or a metastatic stage; accordingly, the specific survival rates are less than 50% [39]. HCC is associated with several other risk factors, including the hepatitis B virus (HBV), the hepatitis C virus (HCV), alcoholism, and hepatic metabolic syndrome [39]. To deregulate HCC and control its oncogenic pathways, several drugs have been utilized [40]. Small nanostructures facilitate to control the proliferation rate of cancer cells, due to their high surface-to-volume ratio. They can easily enter into cells and react to their organelles. GNPs are applied to several biological activities, including size-dependent activities. The use of gold NPs (40-60 nm) on osteosarcoma cells was investigated by [PERSON] et al. (2020) to explore potential therapasotic applications in bone cancer [41]. In another study, 20 nm- and 50 nm-diameter gold NPs were used to elucidate the effects of size on GNPs' interaction with tumor cells at mono- and multilayer levels; the conclusion was that smaller NPs are much better than larger particles for future cancer therapeutics [42].