Enhancement of Antimicrobial Activity of Alginate Films with a Low Amount of Carbon Nanofibers (0.1% w/w)

The World Health Organization has called for new effective and affordable alternative antimicrobial materials for the prevention and treatment of microbial infections. In this regard, calcium alginate has previously been shown to possess antiviral activity against the enveloped double-stranded DNA herpes simplex virus type 1. However, non-enveloped viruses are more resistant to inactivation than enveloped ones. Thus, the viral inhibition capacity of calcium alginate and the effect of adding a low amount of carbon nanofibers (0.1% w/w) were explored here against a non-enveloped double-stranded DNA virus model for the first time. The results of this study showed that neat calcium alginate films partly inactivated this type of non-enveloped virus and that including that extremely low percentage of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) significantly enhanced its antiviral activity. These calcium alginate/CNFs composite materials also showed antibacterial properties against the Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus bacterial model and no cytotoxic effects in human keratinocyte HaCaT cells. Since alginate-based materials have also shown antiviral activity against four types of enveloped positive-sense single-stranded RNA viruses similar to SARS-CoV-2 in previous studies, these novel calcium alginate/carbon nanofibers composites are promising as broad-spectrum antimicrobial biomaterials for the current COVID-19 pandemic.

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First report of antiviral activity of carbon nanofibers: Enhancement of the viral inhibition capacity of calcium alginate films

10.1101/2020.08.18.255646 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Isaías Sanmartín-Santos ◽

Sofía Gandía-Llop ◽

Ángel Serrano-Aroca

Keyword(s):

Antiviral Activity ◽

Carbon Nanofibers ◽

Calcium Alginate ◽

Carbon Nanomaterials ◽

Viral Infections ◽

World Health ◽

Viral Inhibition ◽

Enveloped Virus ◽

Double Stranded Dna ◽

Health Organization

AbstractThe World Health Organization has called for new effective and affordable alternative antiviral materials for the prevention and treatment of viral infections. In this regard, calcium alginate has previously shown to possesses antiviral activity against the enveloped double-stranded DNA herpes simplex virus type 1. However, non-enveloped viruses are more resistant to inactivation than enveloped ones. Thus, the viral inhibition capacity of calcium alginate and the effect of adding a minuscule amount of carbon nanomaterials (0.1% w/w) have been explored here against a non-enveloped double-stranded DNA virus model for the first time. The results of this study showed that neat calcium alginate films are able to inactivate this type of non-enveloped virus and that including that extremely low percentage of carbon nanofibers significantly enhanced its viral inhibition from ~55.6% to 96.33%. This is the first published study to demonstrate CNFs’ antiviral activity. However, adding this small percentage of graphene oxide did not improve the antiviral activity of calcium alginate, although both composite biomaterials possess antiviral and other outstanding properties very promising for biomedical applications.

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Carbon Nanofibers in Pure Form and in Calcium Alginate Composites Films: New Cost-Effective Antibacterial Biomaterials against the Life-Threatening Multidrug-Resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym11030453 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 453 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Beatriz Salesa ◽

Miguel Martí ◽

Belén Frígols ◽

Ángel Serrano-Aroca

Keyword(s):

Carbon Nanofibers ◽

Staphylococcus Epidermidis ◽

Calcium Alginate ◽

Composite Films ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Multidrug Resistant ◽

Pure Form ◽

Production Costs ◽

World Health ◽

Human Beings

Due to the current global health problem of antibiotic resistant recently announced by the World Health Organization, there is an urgent necessity of looking for new alternative antibacterial materials able to treat and impede multidrug-resistant infections which are cost-effective and non-toxic for human beings. In this regard, carbon nanofibers (CNFs) possess currently much lower cost than other carbon nanomaterials, such as graphene oxide, and exhibit excellent chemical, mechanical and electric properties. Furthermore, here, the first report on the antibacterial activity of CNFs was demonstrated. Thus, these nanomaterials, in pure form or incorporated in a minuscule amount into calcium alginate composite films to reduce production costs as much as possible, showed to be new weapons against a globally spreading multidrug-resistant pathogen, the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE). This Gram-positive bacterium is becoming one of the most dangerous pathogens, due to its abundance on skin. In this study, these hollow filamentous materials, in direct contact with cells and loaded in the low-cost calcium alginate composite films, showed no cytotoxicity for human keratinocyte HaCaT cells, which render them very promising for biomedical applications. The CNFs used in this work were characterized by Raman spectroscopy and observed by high-resolution transmission electron with energy-disperse X-ray spectroscopy.

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Virucidal Activity of Gold Nanoparticles Synthesized by Green Chemistry Using Garlic Extract

Viruses ◽

10.3390/v11121111 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (12) ◽

pp. 1111 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Mayra A. Meléndez-Villanueva ◽

Karla Morán-Santibañez ◽

Juan J. Martínez-Sanmiguel ◽

Raúl Rangel-López ◽

Marco A. Garza-Navarro ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gold Nanoparticles ◽

Antiviral Activity ◽

Measles Virus ◽

Viral Infections ◽

Vero Cells ◽

Garlic Extract ◽

World Health ◽

Viral Particles ◽

Virucidal Effect ◽

Health Organization

Measles virus (MeV) is a paramyxovirus that infects humans, principally children. Despite the existence of an effective and safe vaccine, the number of cases of measles has increased due to lack of vaccination coverage. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that the number of cases worldwide multiplied fourfold between January and March 2019, to 112,000. Today, there is no treatment available for MeV. In recent years, it has been demonstrated that natural extracts (herbal or algal) with antiviral activity can also work as reducing agents that, in combination with nanotechnology, offer an innovative option to counteract viral infections. Here, we synthetized and evaluated the antiviral activity of gold nanoparticles using garlic extract (Allium sativa) as a reducing agent (AuNPs-As). These nanoparticles actively inhibited MeV replication in Vero cells at a 50% effective concentration (EC50) of 8.829 µg/mL, and the selectivity index (SI) obtained was 16.05. AuNPs-As likely inhibit viral infection by blocking viral particles directly, showing a potent virucidal effect. Gold nanoparticles may be useful as a promising strategy for treating and controlling the infection of MeV and other related enveloped viruses.

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Progress in Developing Inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 3C-Like Protease

Microorganisms ◽

10.3390/microorganisms8081250 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (8) ◽

pp. 1250 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Qingxin Li ◽

CongBao Kang

Keyword(s):

High Resolution ◽

World Health ◽

Structural Basis ◽

Valuable Insight ◽

Structural Studies ◽

Nonstructural Proteins ◽

Enveloped Virus ◽

Main Protease ◽

Health Organization ◽

Global Population

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The viral outbreak started in late 2019 and rapidly became a serious health threat to the global population. COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020. Several therapeutic options have been adopted to prevent the spread of the virus. Although vaccines have been developed, antivirals are still needed to combat the infection of this virus. SARS-CoV-2 is an enveloped virus, and its genome encodes polyproteins that can be processed into structural and nonstructural proteins. Maturation of viral proteins requires cleavages by proteases. Therefore, the main protease (3 chymotrypsin-like protease (3CLpro) or Mpro) encoded by the viral genome is an attractive drug target because it plays an important role in cleaving viral polyproteins into functional proteins. Inhibiting this enzyme is an efficient strategy to block viral replication. Structural studies provide valuable insight into the function of this protease and structural basis for rational inhibitor design. In this review, we describe structural studies on the main protease of SARS-CoV-2. The strategies applied in developing inhibitors of the main protease of SARS-CoV-2 and currently available protein inhibitors are summarized. Due to the availability of high-resolution structures, structure-guided drug design will play an important role in developing antivirals. The availability of high-resolution structures, potent peptidic inhibitors, and diverse compound scaffolds indicate the feasibility of developing potent protease inhibitors as antivirals for COVID-19.

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MOXIDECTIN AND IVERMECTIN INHIBIT SARS-COV-2 REPLICATION IN VERO E6 CELLS BUT NOT IN HUMAN PRIMARY AIRWAY EPITHELIUM CELLS

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy ◽

10.1128/aac.01543-21 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Nilima Dinesh Kumar ◽

Bram M. ter Ellen ◽

Ellen M. Bouma ◽

Berit Troost ◽

Denise P. I. van de Pol ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Antiviral Activity ◽

Antiviral Effect ◽

Vero Cells ◽

In Vitro Models ◽

World Health ◽

Current Evidence ◽

High Dose ◽

Health Organization

Antiviral therapies are urgently needed to treat and limit the development of severe COVID-19 disease. Ivermectin, a broad-spectrum anti-parasitic agent, has been shown to have anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity in Vero cells at a concentration of 5 μM. These limited in vitro results triggered the investigation of ivermectin as a treatment option to alleviate COVID-19 disease. In April 2021, the World Health Organization stated, however, the following: “the current evidence on the use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19 patients is inconclusive”. It is speculated that the in vivo concentration of ivermectin is too low to exert a strong antiviral effect. Here, we performed a head-to head comparison of the antiviral activity of ivermectin and the structurally related, but metabolically more stable, moxidectin in multiple in vitro models of SARS-CoV-2 infection, including physiologically relevant human respiratory epithelial cells. Both moxidectin and ivermectin exhibited antiviral activity in Vero E6 cells. Subsequent experiments revealed that the compounds predominantly act on a step after virus cell entry. Surprisingly, however, in human airway-derived cell models, moxidectin and ivermectin failed to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection, even at a concentration of 10 μM. These disappointing results call for a word of caution in the interpretation of anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity of drugs solely based on Vero cells. Altogether, these findings suggest that, even by using a high-dose regimen of ivermectin or switching to another drug in the same class are unlikely to be useful for treatment against SARS-CoV-2 in humans.

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Moxidectin and ivermectin inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication in Vero E6 cells but not in human primary airway epithelium cells

10.1101/2021.05.17.444467 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Nilima Dinesh Kumar ◽

Bram Ter Ellen ◽

Ellen M Bouma ◽

Berit Troost ◽

Denise P. I van de Pol ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Antiviral Activity ◽

Antiviral Effect ◽

Vero Cells ◽

In Vitro Models ◽

World Health ◽

Current Evidence ◽

High Dose ◽

Health Organization

Antiviral therapies are urgently needed to treat and limit the development of severe COVID-19 disease. Ivermectin, a broad-spectrum anti-parasitic agent, has been shown to have anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity in Vero cells at a concentration of 5 micromolar. These in vitro results triggered the investigation of ivermectin as a treatment option to alleviate COVID-19 disease. In April 2021, the World Health Organization stated, however, the following: "the current evidence on the use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19 patients is inconclusive". It is speculated that the in vivo concentration of ivermectin is too low to exert a strong antiviral effect. Here, we performed a head-to head comparison of the antiviral activity of ivermectin and a structurally related, but metabolically more stable, moxidectin in multiple in vitro models of SARS-CoV-2 infection, including physiologically relevant human respiratory epithelial cells. Both moxidectin and ivermectin exhibited antiviral activity in Vero E6 cells. Subsequent experiments revealed that the compounds predominantly act on a step after virus cell entry. Surprisingly, however, in human airway-derived cell models, moxidectin and ivermectin failed to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection, even at a concentration of 10 micromolar. These disappointing results calls for a word of caution in the interpretation of anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity of drugs solely based on Vero cells. Altogether, these findings suggest that, even by using a high-dose regimen of ivermectin or switching to another drug in the same class are unlikely to be useful for treatment against SARS-CoV-2 in humans.

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Coronavirus disease and diabetes – Interplay of two pandemics

International Journal of Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences ◽

10.26452/ijrps.v11ispl1.3443 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽

pp. 1048-1053

Author(s):

Chitrika Subhadarsanee ◽

Prasad V Dhadse ◽

Vidya Baliga ◽

Komal Bhombe

Keyword(s):

Multiple Organ Failure ◽

Organ Failure ◽

Specific Treatment ◽

Multiple Organ ◽

Host Cells ◽

World Health ◽

Older Individuals ◽

Enveloped Virus ◽

Viral Interactions ◽

Health Organization

“Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)” is induced by a novel enveloped virus having single-stranded RNA which was originated in Wuhan city of Hubei, province, China. The coronavirus has a protein envelope. On the outer surface, the virus has spike-like glycoprotein, which is responsible for the attachment and entrance inside host cells. It transmits rapidly affecting more than 160 countries globally, so, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced it as a pandemic. It is considered as a relative of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), COVID-19 is caused by a beta coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2 that affects the lower respiratory tract and manifests as pneumonia in humans. It is an airborne disease as announced by WHO and the incubation period ranges from 2 to 14 days. The clinical spectrum of COVID-19 is heterogeneous, ranging from mild flu-like symptoms to acute respiratory distress syndrome, multiple organ failure and death. Till now, so specific treatment is invented so, prevention plays a significant role. The current situation is only limiting the spread of disease. Coronavirus infection leads to the activation of adaptive and innate immune responses, resulting in massive inflammation (to so-called cytokine storm), which in turn can lead to damage to various tissues, septic shock and multiple organ failure. According to WHO, older individuals and people having associated co-morbidities like diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, obesity, etc., are at higher risk of getting infected by the coronavirus. This review explains the renewed correlation between diabetes and COVID-19. It also highlights the potential mechanisms by which diabetes regulates the host immune response and host-viral interactions.

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COVID-19 and multi-systemic diseases: A review

International Journal of Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences ◽

10.26452/ijrps.v11ispl1.3617 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽

pp. 1269-1277

Author(s):

Kiran Rajesh Sethiya ◽

Prasad V Dhadse

Keyword(s):

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽

Common Cold ◽

Age Groups ◽

World Health ◽

Enveloped Virus ◽

Comprehensive Knowledge ◽

Systemic Manifestations ◽

Males And Females ◽

Health Organization ◽

Patients Experience

Coronaviruses was discovered in the mid-1960s that affect humans. In 2019, Wuhan city of Hubei, China, there was an out-break of "coronavirus disease (COVID-19)" which is the result of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which is induced by a novel enveloped virus having single-stranded RNA. It transmitted rapidly affecting more than 200 countries globally, so, the World Health Organization has declared it as a pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 presently is a 7th amongst known coronaviruses that cause infection in people, after 229E and OC43 (earliest studied viruses in human patients suffering from a common cold). It has infected humans in all age groups, of all ethnicities, both males and females while spreading through communities at an alarming rate. Infected patients experience common cold-like symptoms along with raised temperature, non-productive coughing and difficulty to breathe. It is considered as a relative of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), COVID-19 is caused by a beta coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2, which affects the lower respiratory tract. Besides, SARS-CoV-2 also harms different organs. Till today, there is comprehensive knowledge about the extent and management of COVID-19-related disorders other than pulmonary system. The present review is an overview of systemic manifestations of COVID-19 that may affect gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, urinary, reproductive, hepatocellular or neurological systems.

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