Biosurfactants’ Potential Role in Combating COVID-19 and Similar Future Microbial Threats
Source abstract
Abstract
During 2020, the world has experienced extreme vulnerability in the face of a disease outbreak. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic discovered in China and rapidly spread across the globe, infecting millions, causing hundreds of thousands of deaths, and severe downturns in the economies of countries worldwide. Biosurfactants can play a significant role in the prevention, control and treatment of diseases caused by these pathogenic agents through various therapeutic, pharmaceutical, environmental and hygiene approaches. Biosurfactants have the potential to inhibit microbial species with virulent intrinsic characteristics capable of developing diseases with high morbidity and mortality, as well as interrupting their spread through environmental and hygiene interventions. This is possible due to their antimicrobial activity, ability to interact with cells forming micelles and to interact with the immune system, and compatibility with relevant processes such as nanoparticle synthesis. They, therefore, can be applied in developing innovative and more effective pharmaceutical, therapeutics, sustainable and friendly environmental management approaches, less toxic formulations, and more efficient cleaning agents. These approaches can be easily integrated into relevant product development pipelines and implemented as measures for combating and managing pandemics. This review examines the potential approaches of biosurfactants as useful molecules in fighting microbial pathogens both known and previously unknown, such as COVID-19.
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Research context
OpenAlex topics: Microbial bioremediation and biosurfactants · Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensing · Bacillus and Francisella bacterial research
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
Environmental Protection and Control Program, Eskişehir Osmangazi University, Eskişehir 26110, Turkey
Department of Biotechnology and Biosafety, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Eskişehir Osmangazi University, Eskişehir 26040, Turkey
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Letter, Eskişehir Osmangazi University, Eskişehir 26040, Turkey
School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Life and Health Sciences, University of Ulster, Coleraine BT52 1SA, UK
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