Cellular Nanoparticles Treat Coronavirus Infection in Vivo.

Publication date: Nov 13, 2024

Cellular nanoparticles (CNPs), which refer to nanoparticles coated with natural cell membranes, are promising for neutralizing pathological agents. Here, we use CNPs as a medical countermeasure against the infection of SARS-CoV-2 variants in an animal model. CNPs comprise polymeric cores coated with the plasma membranes of human macrophages. The resulting nanoparticles (MΦ-NPs) act as host cell decoys to intercept SARS-CoV-2 and block its cellular entry, thus inhibiting subsequent viral infection. Our findings indicate that MΦ-NPs bind to the spike proteins of SARS-CoV-2 variants in a dose-dependent manner and inhibit the infectivity of live viruses. In hamsters infected with SARS-CoV-2 variants, MΦ-NPs significantly reduce the viral burden in the lungs, demonstrating their effectiveness in inhibiting viral infectivity in vivo. Furthermore, MΦ-NPs are primarily taken up by alveolar macrophages without inducing noticeable adverse effects. Given the crucial role of macrophages in viral infections, MΦ-NPs present a promising approach to combating emerging viral threats.

Concepts Keywords
Coronavirus antiviral
Effectiveness biological neutralization
Hamsters cell membrane coating
Host cellular nanoparticle
Nanoparticles coronavirus

Semantics

Type Source Name
disease MESH Coronavirus Infection
disease IDO cell
disease MESH infection
disease MESH viral infection
disease IDO infectivity
disease MESH viral burden
disease IDO role

Original Article

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