Spontaneous and continuous anti-virus disinfection from nonstoichiometric perovskite-type lanthanum manganese oxide

Abstract

Viral pathogens have threatened human being׳s health for a long time, from periodically breakout flu epidemics to recent rising Ebola virus disease. Herein, we report a new application of nonstoichiometric Perovskite-type LaxMnO3 (x=1, 0.95, and 0.9) compounds in spontaneous and continuous disinfection of viruses. Perovskite-type LaxMnO3 (x=1, 0.95, and 0.9) is well-known for their catalytic properties involving oxidization reactions, which are usually utilized as electrodes in fuel cells. By utilizing superb oxidative ability of LaxMnO3 (x=1, 0.95, and 0.9), amino acid residues in viral envelope proteins are oxidized, thus envelope proteins are denatured and infectivity of the virus is neutralized. It is of great importance that this process does not require external energy sources like light or heat. The A/PR/8/34H1N1 influenza A virus (PR8) was employed as the sample virus in our demonstration, and high-throughput disinfections were observed. The efficiency of disinfection was correlated to oxidative ability of LaxMnO3 (x=1, 0.95, and 0.9) by EPR and H2-TPR results that La0.9MnO3 had the highest oxidative ability and correspondingly gave out the best disinfecting results within three nonstoichiometric compounds. Moreover, denaturation of hemagglutinin and neuraminidase, the two key envelope proteins of influenza A viruses, was demonstrated by HA unit assay with chicken red blood cells and NA fluorescence assay, respectively. This unique disinfecting application of La0.9MnO3 is considered as a great make up to current sterilizing methods especially to photocatalyst based disinfectants and can be widely applied to cut-off spread routes of viruses, either viral aerosol or contaminated fluid, and help in controlling the possibly upcoming epidemics like flus and hemorrhagic fever.