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The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants requires close monitoring to prevent the reoc-currence of a new pandemic in the near future. The Omicron variant, in particular, is one of the fastest-spreading viruses, showing a high ability to infect people and evade neutralization by anti-bodies elicited upon infection or vaccination. Therefore, the search f...
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... Recently, hybrid hydrogels with multifunctional potential have been investigated for effective wound treatment [12,13]. In this study, a hybrid hydrogel dressing was reasonably fabricated by simply mixing PVA, AgTA NPs, and hyperbranched poly L-lysin [14][15][16][17]. PVA is a water-soluble polymer that is widely used in medicine for various applications, such as tissue engineering and drug delivery systems. ...
Hydrogels containing antimicrobial materials have emerged as attractive platforms for wound treatment in the past decade due to their favorable bio-mimicking properties, excellent modulation of bacterial infection, and ability to minimize bacterial resistance. Herein, a hybrid combination of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), hyperbranched poly L-lysine (L), tannic acid decorated AgNPs (AgTA NPs), loaded with Allantoin (Alla) is used to fabricate PLAg-Alla hydrogel dressing via the freeze-thaw method without use of any chemical cross-linker. The PLAg-Alla hydrogel possesses a great structure, is biodegradable, and safe, and exhibits high antibacterial potential, all required for efficient wound healing. The incorporation of AgTA and poly L-lysine (L) within the hydrogel contributes to the enhancement of antibacterial ability, as well as effectively promoting the wound healing. This hybrid hydrogel possessed favorable physicochemical features, robust antibacterial properties, and accelerated wound healing in vivo as promising dressing for the clinical application.
The COVID‐19 pandemic profoundly changes the perception of the impact of viral diseases on society and the consequent need to develop new and more effective technologies in vaccines and antivirals. Thus, research in the field of antivirals has received a new and strong impetus by considering new approaches and innovative methodologies. One example has been the numerous published studies on antiviral nanosystems developed from nanoparticles, among the most promising of which are carbon dots (C‐dots). C‐dots are effective antivirals due to multiple mechanisms of action. They are also, in general, water‐soluble and noncytotoxic. However, the data reported in the literature are still fragmented and cover different families of viruses and types of C‐dots. Therefore, a comparative study is needed to identify possible strategies for designing C‐dots with antiviral activity. This article aims to provide a comparative and critical analysis of the published data on C‐dots and their antiviral properties against various types of viruses. By exploring the relationship between the composition and properties of C‐dots, this article aims to shed light on the mechanism of their antiviral activity. The review has highlighted the potential of C‐dots as antiviral agents and would serve as a basis for further research in this field.
The scientific community is actively engaged in the development of innovative nanomaterials with broad‐spectrum virucidal properties, particularly those capable of producing reactive oxygen species (ROS), to combat upcoming pandemics effectively. The generation of ROS capable of inhibiting viral activity on high‐touch surfaces can prove an effective means of reducing pathogenic and viral infections, while avoiding the exacerbation of antibiotic resistance resulting from the extensive use of chemical disinfectants. Carbon dots (C‐dots), in particular, are a class of nanomaterials that under specific conditions is able to generate reactive species. They are, therefore, excellent candidates for fabricating light‐activated functional antiviral devices. Pro‐oxidant C‐dots have been developed via microwave synthesis using an amino acid, glycine (Gly), and 1,5‐diaminonaphtalene (DAN) as precursors. The formation of C‐dots has been obtained by reacting the precursors in microwave using two different acid catalysts, H3BO3 or HCl. The HCl catalyst promotes the formation of a copolymer while using H3BO3 the precursors preferentially self‐condense. The boron‐catalyzed samples have shown to contain radical centers whose intensity increases upon illumination by UV and also visible light. They also show the capability of generating singlet oxygen through energy transfer to oxygen molecules when irradiated. The C‐dots exhibit effective virucidal activity and have been tested in vitro using two different variants of SARS‐CoV‐2, the original strain, and Omicron. Antiviral C‐dots have been finally used to functionalize a model surface, inducing a strong virucidal activity against the SARS‐CoV‐2 coronavirus with both ultraviolet (UV) and visible (VL) light.
