Efficient Inactivation of Enveloped Viruses Using a Nanoparticle-Based Photodynamic Method

Enveloped viruses pose a critical health threat to human beings. Photodynamic inactivation shows promise but requires a relatively long time of irradiation or a high power intensity. Meanwhile, the unclear role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in inactivation hampers the development of effective antivirus equipment. Here, we present that protoporphyrin IX-loaded silica nanoparticles show high efficiency in inactivating enveloped viruses. Representative enveloped viruses, including herpes simplex virus 1, vesicular stomatitis virus, and pseudoviruses SARS-CoV-2, were almost fully inactivated under <16 min of irradiation of a halogen tungsten lamp. By a quantitative polymerase chain reaction technique, we found that the viruses lost their ability to bind cells after the photoinactivation. The mechanistic study further showed that the nanoparticle-based photodynamic effect disrupted the receptor-binding proteins on the envelope rather than destroying the whole virus structure by ROS. Our results suggest a highly efficient approach to disinfecting enveloped viruses and may shed light on designing photodynamic materials for breaking spreading chains in epidemics.