IADR Abstract Archives
Novel Plant-Cell-Engineered Nanoparticles to Target SARS-CoV-2 and HSV-1 Entry
Objectives: There is an urgent need for the development of naturally derived agents that can interfere with early stages of viral infection. Plant cell engineered gold nanoparticles (NP) may offer an effective strategy to minimize viral-exposure risk in dental offices. This study assessed the role of plant-cell-engineered NP coated with antiviral flavonoids quercetin to prevent SARS-CoV-2 and HSV-1 cell entry.
Methods: The cytotoxic effect of plant and chemically-derived NP was evaluated using a lactate dehydrogenase assay. The impact on viral entry was investigated in-vitro using reporter-based SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus and HSV-1 virus. In both assays, the antiviral activity of the NPs was tested by pre-treating host cells and viruses separately. Viral entry was quantified by luciferase signal for SARS-CoV-2 and/or beta galactosidase activity for HSV-1. A plaque reduction assay was used to determine the NP impact on virus cell-to-cell spread. One-way ANOVA and Bonferroni's multiple comparisons test were used for statistical analysis (α=0.05).
Results: NPs exhibited minimal cytotoxicity at <20ug/ml in both plant and chemically synthesized NPs. All NPs linked to quercetin displayed antiviral properties in both SARS-CoV-2 and HSV-1 at the concentrations tested. The potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 effect of the NPs in pre-treated cells but not with the virus suggests that NPs likely interact with the host receptors and/or proteolytic enzymes but not the virus spike glycoprotein. In the HSV-1 system, both the cells treated, and virus treated assays equally displayed robust inhibition of viral entry suggesting an entirely multivalent interaction of NPs with HSV-1. A reduction in both plaque number and size indicates that quercetin-coated NPs are useful to limit HSV-1 cell-to-cell spread.
Conclusions: NPs significantly impacted SARS-CoV-2 and HSV-1 cell entry and spread. Future studies will investigate the addition of these novel NPs to oral pre-procedural-rinses.
Methods: The cytotoxic effect of plant and chemically-derived NP was evaluated using a lactate dehydrogenase assay. The impact on viral entry was investigated in-vitro using reporter-based SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus and HSV-1 virus. In both assays, the antiviral activity of the NPs was tested by pre-treating host cells and viruses separately. Viral entry was quantified by luciferase signal for SARS-CoV-2 and/or beta galactosidase activity for HSV-1. A plaque reduction assay was used to determine the NP impact on virus cell-to-cell spread. One-way ANOVA and Bonferroni's multiple comparisons test were used for statistical analysis (α=0.05).
Results: NPs exhibited minimal cytotoxicity at <20ug/ml in both plant and chemically synthesized NPs. All NPs linked to quercetin displayed antiviral properties in both SARS-CoV-2 and HSV-1 at the concentrations tested. The potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 effect of the NPs in pre-treated cells but not with the virus suggests that NPs likely interact with the host receptors and/or proteolytic enzymes but not the virus spike glycoprotein. In the HSV-1 system, both the cells treated, and virus treated assays equally displayed robust inhibition of viral entry suggesting an entirely multivalent interaction of NPs with HSV-1. A reduction in both plaque number and size indicates that quercetin-coated NPs are useful to limit HSV-1 cell-to-cell spread.
Conclusions: NPs significantly impacted SARS-CoV-2 and HSV-1 cell entry and spread. Future studies will investigate the addition of these novel NPs to oral pre-procedural-rinses.