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Review
. 2021 Mar;16(6):497-516.
doi: 10.2217/nnm-2020-0441. Epub 2021 Mar 8.

Nanotechnology against the novel coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2): diagnosis, treatment, therapy and future perspectives

Affiliations
Review

Nanotechnology against the novel coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2): diagnosis, treatment, therapy and future perspectives

Hamid Rashidzadeh et al. Nanomedicine (Lond). 2021 Mar.

Abstract

COVID-19, as an emerging infectious disease, has caused significant mortality and morbidity along with socioeconomic impact. No effective treatment or vaccine has been approved yet for this pandemic disease. Cutting-edge tools, especially nanotechnology, should be strongly considered to tackle this virus. This review aims to propose several strategies to design and fabricate effective diagnostic and therapeutic agents against COVID-19 by the aid of nanotechnology. Polymeric, inorganic self-assembling materials and peptide-based nanoparticles are promising tools for battling COVID-19 as well as its rapid diagnosis. This review summarizes all of the exciting advances nanomaterials are making toward COVID-19 prevention, diagnosis and therapy.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; coronavirus; diagnosis; nanotechnology; treatment.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Structure of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.
Reproduced with permission from [17] © American Chemical Society (2021).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.. Nanostructured materials in battling coronavirus 2019 and the rapid diagnosis of coronavirus 2019.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.. Schematic illustration of polymeric virus catchers fabricated using molecular imprinting techniques.
Reproduced with permission from [65] licensed with CC BY 3.0.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.. Hollow nanoparticles against coronavirus disease-19.
(A) Fabrication of a nanovaccine based on synthetic biodegradable PLGA and DEPE-PEG polymers using a double emulsion technique. (B, C) Cryo-electron microscopy of cdGMP-loaded hollow nanoparticles. (D) Determination of the size distribution of nanoparticles via dynamic light scattering. HPLC diagram of adjuvant-loaded nanoparticles (NP[cdGMP]) and soluble cdGMP. (E) HPLC diagram of soluble cdGMP and adjuvant-loaded nanoparticles (NP[cdGMP]). (F) Calibration curve for the determination of cdGMP encapsulation efficiency. (G) cdGMP release profiles at pH 5 and pH 7. PLGA: Poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid). Reproduced with permission from [66] © WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim (2019).
Figure 5.
Figure 5.. Inactivation of influenza A virus treated with porous gold nanoparticles.
PoGNP interacts with Influenza A virus surface proteins and cleaves their disulfide bonds. Inactivated viruses exhibit lower infectivity to cells. PoGNP: Porous gold nanoparticle. Reproduced with permission from [96] licensed with CC BY 4.0.
Figure 6.
Figure 6.. Schematic representation of possible strategies to tackle coronavirus 2019 using nanotechnology.

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