title: Virostatic potential of micro-nano filopodia-like ZnO structures against herpes simplex virus-1.
abstract: Herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) entry into target cell is initiated by the ionic interactions between positively charged viral envelop glycoproteins and a negatively charged cell surface heparan sulfate (HS). This first step involves the induction of HS-rich filopodia-like structures on the cell surface that facilitate viral transport during cell entry. Targeting this initial first step in HSV-1 pathogenesis, we generated different zinc oxide (ZnO) micro-nano structures (MNSs) that were capped with multiple nanoscopic spikes mimicking cell induced filopodia. These MNSs were predicted to target the virus to compete for its binding to cellular HS through their partially negatively charged oxygen vacancies on their nanoscopic spikes, to affect viral entry and subsequent spread. Our results demonstrate that the partially negatively charged ZnO-MNSs efficiently trap the virions via a novel virostatic mechanism rendering them unable to enter into human corneal fibroblasts - a natural target cell for HSV-1 infection. The anti-HSV-1 activity of ZnO MNSs was drastically enhanced after creating additional oxygen vacancies under UV-light illumination. Our results provide a novel insight into the significance of ZnO MNSs as the potent HSV-1 inhibitor and rationalize their development as a novel topical agent for the prevention of HSV-1 infection.
authors: Institute of Materials Science, University of Kiel, Kiel 24143, Germany.
authors: Yogendra Kumar
authors: YK
authors: Mishra
authors: Rainer
authors: R
authors: Adelung
authors: Claudia
authors: C
authors: Röhl
authors: Deepak
authors: D
authors: Shukla
authors: Frank
authors: F
authors: Spors
authors: Vaibhav
authors: V
authors: Tiwari
mesh_terms: D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000821:virology; D018259:Herpesvirus 1, Human / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D053758:Nanoparticles; D055672:Static Electricity; D053586:Virus Internalization / Q000187:drug effects*; D015034:Zinc Oxide / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D015034:Zinc Oxide