Abstract
The use of nanotechnology and nanomaterials in medical research is growing. Silver-containing nanoparticles have previously demonstrated antimicrobial efficacy against bacteria and viral particles. This preliminary study utilized an in vitro approach to evaluate the ability of silver-based nanoparticles to inhibit infectivity of the biological select agent, monkeypox virus (MPV). Nanoparticles (10–80 nm, with or without polysaccharide coating), or silver nitrate (AgNO3) at concentrations of 100, 50, 25, and 12.5 μg/mL were evaluated for efficacy using a plaque reduction assay. Both Ag-PS-25 (polysaccharide-coated, 25 nm) and Ag-NP-55 (non-coated, 55 nm) exhibited a significant (P ≤ 0.05) dose-dependent effect of test compound concentration on the mean number of plaque-forming units (PFU). All concentrations of silver nitrate (except 100 μg/mL) and Ag-PS-10 promoted significant (P ≤ 0.05) decreases in the number of observed PFU compared to untreated controls. Some nanoparticle treatments led to increased MPV PFU ranging from 1.04- to 1.8-fold above controls. No cytotoxicity (Vero cell monolayer sloughing) was caused by any test compound, except 100 μg/mL AgNO3. These results demonstrate that silver-based nanoparticles of approximately 10 nm inhibit MPV infection in vitro, supporting their potential use as an anti-viral therapeutic.
Highlights
Nanotechnology is a growing field of science that utilizes the physico-chemical properties of nanomaterials as a means to control their size, surface area, and shape for use in multiple aspects of research and application in every day life
For some of the nanoparticle treatments, there was an observed increase in the mean number of Monkeypox virus (MPV) plaque-forming units (PFU)/well, which ranged from 1.04- to 1.8-fold above controls (Table 1)
The present study shows that Ag-PS-10 and AgNO3 were effective at reducing MPV-induced plaque formation in vitro at concentrations ranging from 12.5 to 100 lg/mL
Summary
Nanotechnology is a growing field of science that utilizes the physico-chemical properties of nanomaterials as a means to control their size, surface area, and shape for use in multiple aspects of research and application in every day life. In biological science and medicine, proposed uses for nanomaterials include drug delivery, biosensors, imaging, antimicrobials, and cancer therapeutics [1,2,3,4,5,6]. Monkeypox virus (MPV), an orthopoxvirus similar to variola virus, is the causative agent of monkeypox in many species of non-human primates and is endemic to central and western Africa [9]. MPV is considered a potential biological warfare threat and the development of various types of drugs and therapeutics against these viruses is ongoing [10]
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