Enantioselective Antiviral Activities of Chiral Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles

Chiral nanoparticles (C-NPs) play a crucial role in biomedical applications, especially in their biological effects on cytotoxicity and metabolism. However, there are rare reports about the antivirus property of C-NPs and their working mechanism. Here, three different types of chiral ZnO NPs (l-ZnO, d-ZnO, and dl-ZnO) were prepared as enantioselective antivirals. Biocompatibility test results showed that the three different chiral ZnO NPs varied significantly in cytotoxicity. Evaluation of their effects against porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) indicated that compared with d-ZnO and dl-ZnO NPs, l-ZnO NPs exhibited stronger anti-PRRSV activity due to their higher cognate cell adhesion and uptake. Furthermore, the high concentration of l-ZnO NPs can obviously reduce cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in MARC-145 cells, thus effectively preventing PRRSV-induced oxidative damage. This study demonstrated the outstanding antiviral properties of l-ZnO NPs, which may facilitate the development and application of C-NPs in antiviral drugs and tissue engineering.