Nanobiotechnology for health-care

Antiviral effect of non-functionalized gold nanoparticles against herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1)
Leśnikowski Z.1, Paradowska E.1, Studzińska M.1, Lozovski V.2, Rusinchuk N.2, Mukha Iu.3, Vityuk N. 3 
1 Institute of Medical Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 106 Lodowa St.
93-232 Łódź, Łódzkie, Poland.
2 Institute of High Technologies, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, 64/13 Volodymyrska Street, 01033 Kyiv, Ukraine.
E-mail: n.m.rusinchuk@gmail.com
3 Chuiko Institute of Surface Chemistry of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 17 General Naumov Street, 03164 Kyiv, Ukraine.

The colloidal solution of non-functionalized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were obtained according to the Turkevich method [1]. Assuming Van-der-Waals type interaction between the nanoparticle and the HSV-1 virion the energy of contact between the nanoparticles and virion was calculated. The theoretical considerations revealed that the nanoparticle adsorption on the virus spike is the most energy efficient case. The theoretical estimations shown strong local field gradient at the virion surface, most probably due to the local field enhancement effect. We hypothesize that AuNPs adsorption on the virion may disturb the virus attachment to the cellular receptors and prevent entry of the cell or fusion with its membrane. This hypothesis is supported by the observation that the antiviral effect of AuNPs occurred only if the virions were ‘pre-treated’ with AuNPs before Vero cells infection. ‘Post-treatment’ of the already infected with HSV-1 cells did not induce antiviral effect. In addition, an efficient interaction of the HSV-1 virion and AuNPs was observed experimentally using the CryoTEM.

Acknowledgments: This work was supported in part by the National Science Center, Poland, grant 2015/16/W/ST5/00413, contributions from the Statutory Fund of IMB PAS is also gratefully acknowledged (EP, MS, ZL)
Selected references: 1. Turkevich J. Gold Bulletin, 1985, 18, 86.2. Baram-Pinto D, Shukla S, Gedanken A, Sarid R. Small, 2010, 6, 1044; 3. Aderibigbe, B.A., Molecules 2017, 22, 1370.