Need for Bionanotechnological Application for Global Health in Combating Coronaviruses-An Opinion
Sankar Narayan Sinha*
Department of Botany, Microbiology and Virology Section, University of Kalyani, India
Submission:March 31, 2020; Published:August 05, 2020
*Corresponding author:Sankar Narayan Sinha, Department of Botany, Microbiology and Virology Section, University of Kalyani, Kalyani 741235, West Bengal, India
How to cite this article:Sankar N S. Need for Bionanotechnological Application for Global Health in Combating Coronaviruses-An Opinion. Glob J Nano. 2020; 5(2): 555660. DOI: 10.19080/GJN.2020.05.555660
Keywords:Coronaviruses; Nanotechnology; Pneumonia; Common cold; Nanomaterials
Opinion
Nanotechnology allows the manipulation of matter at the atomic scale, yielding an unprecedented understanding of nature itself as well as enabling its application to a plethora of human challenges. Among these medicines is perhaps the arena in which nanotechnology currently has the most to offer, with a number of nano-based advances that could potentially reduce the disease burden.
Coronaviruses are included in the family Coronaviridae under the subfamily Coronavirinae and the order Nidovirales. Coronaviruses consist of following four genera- a) Alpha-coronavirus (infecting animals), b) Beta- coronavirus (infecting animals), c) Gamma- coronavirus (infecting birds and avian species) and d) Delta- coronavirus (infecting both mammals and avian species). It is large enveloped virus with positive sense single stranded RNA (26-33 kb) which is widely distributed among bats, mice, dogs, cats, camels, birds, and humans (Zhao et al., 2020). The RNA is surrounded by a helical capsid and an envelope. From the envelope spike proteins come out as protrusions in the form of a crown which gives the shape of a corona to the virus.
The common and major group of coronaviruses are Human coronaviruses (HCoVs) which are popular respiratory pathogens that cause respiratory and intestinal infections such as pneumonia, common cold, bronchitis, bronchiolitis etc. Among the human coronaviruses hCoV229E, NL63, OC43 and HKU1 cause mild infections in humans. However, in 2003 in Guangdong province of China and in 2012 in middle east countries severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARSCoV) and Middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERSCoV) outbreak occurred by the attack of Beta-coronavirus. They originated from bats and subsequently transmitted to humans. In recent times HCoVs have evolved rapidly due to mutation, high rate of nucleotide sustitution, ability to colonize new host and cross species transmission.
Researchers throughout the world are continually fighting the ongoing coronavirus outbreak which very recently originated in Wuhan, China. This ongoing coronavirus outbreak in China caused rising death tolls is now a wakeup call for global health, in so far as many researchers have turned their focus to this growing threat.
Nanotechnology does have solution for almost every problem we face, including now-struggling global health so that a nanoparticle-based coronavirus vaccine can be successfully developed. Owing to their (viruses) high specific surface area and the possiblity of being functionalized with wide range of functional groups, nanomaterials e.g., gold nanoparticles and carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are elite choices for interaction with viruses thus preventing their entry into cells.
Recently a group of researchers from the University of Lille, France and Ruhr University, Germany showed that CQDs connected with boronic acid ligands interfered with the coronavirus’s S protein function and inhibited its entry markedly into the host cells. The study of these groups revealed that apart from these nanomaterials to the cell culture medium before and during infection with coronaviruses, significantly minimized the rate of infection. Interestingly after one coronaviral life cycle (5.5 h), a major inhibition activity was noted at the viral replication step. These CQDs with an average diameter of 10 nm with its good solubility in water might be the perfect candidates for overcoming the coronavirus infection because they easily enter the cell through endocytosis and interact with viral protein, thereby preventing viral genome replication. Other nanomaterials with similar antiviral effect have also been reported. For example, a Chinese research team has synthesized a novel class of peptide inhibitors based on gold nanorods which specifically target S protein of coronavirus and disrupt the virus activities. Furthermore, a group of researchers from Shizuoka University, Japan has recently prepared nanovesicle using insect cells for deactivation of coronavirus. These nanovesicle particles are very similar to coronavirus excepting that they do not have the viral genome. Once they enter the host cells, they stimulate the immune system of cells for fighting the infection caused by the virus type. In order to develop coronaviral vaccine, these research team tried to make expression of structural proteins of the MERSCoV in silkworm larvae and Bm5 cells. devoid of transmembrane and cytoplasmic domain was injected. Finally, after thorough experimentation the synthesized VLP mimetic nanovesicles proved to be effective against MERS coronavirus and indeed can be used as nanoparticlebased vaccine to fight the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
The complex secondary metabolism of plants has been the source of limitless medicinal compounds and play a role for drug discovery. So naturally there is no question of surprise that plant products and their analogues have been employed as an early line of defense against COVID 19. Chinese State Council on 17.2.2020 announced that chloroquine phosphate, a structural analogue of quinine (extracted from different species of Cinchona e.g., C. calisaya, C. succirubra et.) may be administered to treat new corona virus. These antimalarial compounds showed broad spectrum antiviral activity and regulatory effects on the immune system. This compound was found to alle4viate the symptoms for most patients and expedites virus seroconversion. Another plant Liquor ice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) has long been used for cough and colds. A compound isolated from this plant called diammonium glycyrrhizinate is now used along with vitamin C as a therapy for COVID 19 and this clinical trial have recently been approved. The patent herbal drug Radix isatidis (derived from the dry roots of cruciferous plant Isatis indigotica) are being proposed for treatment in China. This plant was used widely during the SARS CoV outbreak in 2003. Besides these a large number of plants such as Baccharis gaudichaudiana, B. spicata, Bidens sabalternans, Pluchea sagittalis, Tagetes minuta, Tessaria absinthioides of asteraceae, Swertia chirata of rananculaceae, Hypericum mysorense and Usnea complanta (a lichen) showed significant antiviral activities. We have also studied in our laboratory a number of plants including Andrographis paniculata for green synthesis of nanoparticles to arrest microorganisms better over direct application of extract According to Thai Traditional medicine and Thai Government Pharmaceutical Organization Andrographis paniculata can inhibit or kill covid 19 virus. So, in near future above-mentioned plants along with other plant species can be exploited for novel chemicals for nanoparticle synthesis to combat the new coronaviral infection.