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. 2020 Oct 7;199(8):3159–3176. doi: 10.1007/s12011-020-02414-2

Table 1.

Antiviral activity of metal nanoparticles

Virus Type of metal nanoparticle Average size of nanoparticle (nm) Method of synthesis Infected cell/animal model Treatment strategy Effective antiviral concentration SI References
Adenovirus Silver 11.4 Chemical reduction HeLa cells (cervical cancer) 3.125–400 μg/mL; 2 h EC50: 9.3 g/mL - [47]

Gold coated with silicon dioxide shell

Gold putted with silicon dioxide shell

5

100

Sol-gel

Grafting

MDBK (Madin-Darby bovine kidney) cells

Hep-2 (larynx epidermoid carcinoma) cells

 200 μl (10-fold dilution); 3–7 days

IC50: dilution 10-6

-

 - [48]
Tungsten carbide 10–20 nm Plasma atomization A549 cells (human lung carcinoma) 100 mg/mL; 5–60 min 3.5 log reduction: 100 mg/mL - [49]
Coronavirus Silver NP-graphene sheet 5–25 nm Chemical Fcwf-4 cells (Felis catus whole fetus) 0.1, 1, 10, 100 mg/mL; 96 h IC24.8: 0.1 mg/mL - [57]
Glutathione-capped silver sulfide 5.3 nm Chemical Vero cells (African green monkey; kidney epithelial) 46 μg/mL; 12 h Reduced viral particles from 3.8 × 105 to 2.5 × 102 PFU/mL: 46 μg/mL - [56]
Gold nanorod-based HR1 peptide

54 nm (length)

18 nm (diameter)

Chemical

Solid phase

 293 T/MERS/EGFP cells and Huh-7 cells (human embryonic kidney and human liver) 0–20 μM; 0–12 h IC100: 1.171 μM - [55]
Silver nanocluster with silica composite sputtered coating Less than 200 nm Radio frequency co-sputtering process with argon

Silver nanocluster/silica composite coating deposited on a facial FFP3 mask

Vero cells

 Different silver concentrations; 72 h 100% inhibition - [58]
Coxsackievirus Silver 57–146 Biological (plant extracts) Vero cells 125, 250, and 500 μg/mL; 48 h IC50: 344–375 μg/mL 40 [62]
Silver 8.91–27.89 Biological (plant extracts) Vero cells 5.28–520.6 μg/mL; 48 h

IC50: 12.74 μg/mL

IC50: 29.04 μg/mL

 - [63]
Enterovirus Selenium (functionalized with oseltamivir 10 Chemical U251 cells (human astrocytoma) 9.8 μM of NPs (incl. 20 nM oseltamivir); 24–48 h 9.8 μM (incl. 20 nM oseltamivir) - [64]
Selenium 100 Chemical Vero cells 15.625 μM; 48 h 15.625 μM - [65]
Chikungunya Silver 64–151 Biological (plant extract) Vero cells 1000–31.25 μg/mL; 5 days 62.5 μg/mL - [75]
Silver 50–120 Biological (plant extracts) Vero cells 7.81–1000 μg/mL; 5 days 31.25, 125, and 250 μg/mL - [76]
Zinc oxide - Precipitation method MA104 cells (African green monkey fetal kidney) 0.5–6.5 pg/mL; 4 days 10-fold decrease in viral load: 2.5 pg/mL - [77]
Dengue Gold-small interfering RNA 12.92–43.25 nm Chemical Vero cells 20–80 nM; 48–72 h 80 nM - [105]
Silver 30–70 nm Biological (plant extract) Vero cells 10–100 μg/mL; 48 h 30 μg/mL - [108]
Silver 35–65 nm Biological (alga) Vero cells 6.25–50 μg/mL; 48 h IC80: 50 μg/mL IC50: 12.5 μg/mL - [107]
Silver 100 nm Biological (seed extract) Vero cells 10–40 μg/mL; 6, 24, 24 h 20 μg/mL - [109]
Herpes simplex Gold - Biological (seaweed extract) Vero cells 2.5, 5, 10, and 25 μL, 72 h

HSV-1: 10 μL

HSV-2: 25 μL

 - [117]
Silver - Biological (seaweed extract) Vero cells 0.5, 1, 2.5, and 5 μL; 72 h 2.5 μL - [117]
Silver-tannic acid 24 nm Chemical reduction C57BL/6 mice 100 μL; 10 days 100 μL - [120]
Gold-3-mercaptoethylsulfonate (MES) and heparin 2.8 nm Chemical reduction Vero cells 0.1–100 μg/mL; 24 h (HSV-1) and 48 h (HSV-2)

HSV-1

EC50:10.9 μg/mL

HSV-2

EC50:1.61 μg/mL

CC50: > 300 μg/mL

HSV-1

> 27.52

HSV-2

> 186.33

 [118]

Zinc oxide-rich in hydroxyl group (H-ZNPs)

Oleic acid modified (OA-ZNPs)

Chitosan (C-ZNPs)

 5–7 nm

H-ZNPs: co-precipitation

OA-ZNPs: chemical

C-ZNPs: chemical

 Vero cells 0.1 and 0.24 mg/mL; 1, 2, 4, and 24 h

EC100: 0.01 mg/mL (C-ZNPs; H-ZNP)

EC85: 0.01 mg/mL (OA-ZNPs)

 - [115]
Copper oxide 40 nm Commercially produced Vero cells 20–100 μg/mL; 48 h EC80: 100 μg/mL - [113]
Gold 7.86 nm Ultrasound induced rapid reduction of gallic acid (GA) Vero cells Different concentrations; 72 h

HSV-1

EC50: 32.3 μM

HSV-2

EC50: 38.6 μM

HSV-1

30.10

HSV-2

25.19

 [119]
Silver 30–40 nm Commercially produced Vero cells 6.25–200 μg/mL; 48 h EC50: 25 μg/mL > 4 [121]
Silver 24–53 nm Biological (fungi) Vero cells 0.1–10 μg/mL; 48 h EC50: 1–5 μg/mL - [122]
Copper Oxide 45.4 nm Chemical reduction Huh7.5.1 cells (human hepatic) 0.5–8 g/mL; 72 h 1, 2, and 4 μg/mL - [114]
Zinc Oxide-PEGylated 20–50 nm Commercially produced Vero cells 25–200 μg/mL; 48 h 2.5 log reduction: 200 μg - [116]
Silver-sodium 2-mercaptoethane sulfonate (Ag-MES) - Sonochemical HeLa cells 1–10 μg/mL; 72 h EC50: 5 μg/mL - [124]
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) Silver-sodium 2-mercaptoethane sulfonate (Ag-MES) - Sonochemical HeLa cells 1–10 μg/mL; 72 h EC50: 5 μg/mL - [124]
Silver-dendrimer conjugates 70–90 nm Chemical reduction HEK293T cells 20, 40, 80, 120 μM; 72 h IC50: 40 μM 0.96 [132]
Mesoporous curcumin encapsulated in iron-phenanthroline 46.8 nm Micellar approach HTHU cells (Microglial) 5 and 8 mg/mL; 48 h 8 mg/mL - [135]
Gallium - Commercially produced THP-1 macrophages 25–300 μM;15 days 300 μM - [131]
Glucan particle encapsulated gallium NP < 30 nm Low desorption PBMC (primary peripheral blood mononuclear) 26, 108, 150, and 355 μg Ga/mg glucan particle; 7 days EC80: 108–355 μg Ga/mg glucan particle - [130]
Silver 12–28 nm Biological (leave extract) - 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and1 μg/mL IC50: 0.4 μg/mL - [178]
Gold-synthetic (oligo) mannosides (Te-10 and Te-50) 100 nm Chemical TZM-bl cells (HeLa cell derivative) 2, 4, 5.5, 11 μM

Te-10: 11 and 5.5 μM

Te-50: 4 and 2 μM

 - [129]
Gold 17 nm Modified method of Turkevich HeLa-CD4-LTR-B-gal 0.01–0.8 mg/mL; 48 h IC50: 1.12 mg/mL - [128]
Silver-curcumin 45 nm Biological ACH-2 cells (acute lymphoblastic leukemic T cell) 20–200 μl; 24–48 h 100 μL - [134]
Hepatitis Silver 8.91–27.89 nm Biological (plant extracts) Vero cells 5.28–520.6 μg/mL; 48 h

IC50: 520.6 μg/mL

IC50: 36.36 μg/mL

 - [63]
Cuprous oxide 45.4 nm Solution phase Huh 7.5.1 cells 2 μg/mL; 7 days > 0.2 μg/mL - [114]
Influenza

Selenium

Selenium-ribavirin

200 nm

< 100 nm

 Chemical reduction and dialysis MDCK cells 15.6 μM; 48 h 15.6 μM - [144]

Gold-FluPep

Silver-FluPep

 10 nm NPs-commercially produced conjugate-mixed matrix ligands MDCK cells 0.001–1 nM with 0.03–5% FluPep ligand; 48 h

Gold-FluPep

IC50: 0.03% and 0.073 nM

Silver-FluPep

IC50: 0.03% and 0.14 nM

 - [146]
Silver 25–55 nm Biological (bark extract) Vero cells 31.25–500 μg/mL; 48 h IC50: 125 μg/mL - [147]
Silver 10 nm - MDCK cells (Madin-Darby canine kidney) 6.25–200 μg/mL; 48–96 h IC50: 12.5 μg/mL - [148]
Silver 9.5 nm Oxidation-reduction method MDCK cells 12.5, 25, and 50 μg/mL; 48 h IC78: 12.5 μg/mL - [149]

Silver

Silver-oseltamivir

 3–2 nm Chemical reduction and dialysis MDCK cells 2.5 μg/mL; 24 h 2.5 μg/mL - [145]
Silver 5–15 nm Ultra-sonication-assisted method (plant extract) MDCK cells 0.005–0.25 M; 24 h 0.25 M - [150]
Iron oxide 10–15 nm Chemical reduction and magnetic separation MA104 cells (embryonic rhesus monkey kidney) 0.5–6.5 pg; 4 days IC50: 1.1 pg - [143]
Norovirus

Gold-core

Copper sulfide

 2–5 nm Seeded growth method and core coating with CuS nanoshell Norovirus GI.1 (Norwalk) virus-like particles as a model viral system 0.0083–1.66 μM IC50: 0.083 μM - [154]
Silver 10, 75, 110 nm Chemical reduction CRFK cells (Crandell-Rees feline kidney) 25, 50, and100 μg/mL; 15 and 30 min; and 1, 2, and 4 h 50 and100 μg/mL (10 nm) - [156]
Silver NP films 1.1 μm Chemical reduction , coating, electrospinning technique RAW 264.7 cells (mouse leukemic macrophage) 2.1 and 21 mg/L; 24 h 0.86 log reduction - [158]
Anatase titanium dioxide 0.5–45 nm Sol-gel RAW 264.7 cells 2 and 20 μg/mL; 24 and 48 h IC50: 20 μg/mL - [155]
Tungsten carbide 10–20 nm Plasma atomization RAW 264.7 cells 100 mg/mL; 5–60 min 3.5 log reduction: 100 mg/mL - [49]
Silver NPs on magnetic hybrid colloid (MHC) 500 nm (silver NPs: 7, 15, 30 nm) Chemical and magnetic separation RAW 264.7 cells 4.6 × 107, 4.6 × 108 and 4.6 × 109 particles/mL of MHC; 1–6 h 2 log reduction: 4.6 x 109 particles/mL - [157]
Poliovirus Silver 7.1 nm Electrochemical RD cells (Human rhabdomyosarcoma) 3.13–50 ppm; 30 and 60 min 3.13 ppm - [162]
Tungsten carbide 10–20 nm Plasma atomization BGM cells (buffalo green monkey kidney) 4.6 × 107, 4.6 × 108 and 4.6 × 109 particles/mL of MHC; 1–6 h 3.5 log reduction - [49]
Respiratory syncytial virus infection (RSV) Silver NPs coated with polyvinylpyrrolidone 10 nm Commercially produced

A549 cells

HEp-2 cells (laryngeal carcinoma)

 10, 25, and 50 μg/mL; 24 h Decreased viral replication by 79% (A549) and 78 % (HEp-2): 50 μg/mL - [168]
Silver NPs-curcumin 13.69 nm Biological (curcumin) HEp-2 cells 0.008–0.24 nM; 24–72 h 0.008–0.12 nM - [167]
Rift Valley fever virus Silver 35 nm Commercially produced Vero cells 4.8–12 μg/mL; 24–72 h Reduced 98% of infectivity: 12 μg/mL - [174]
Rubeola virus Gold 6 nm Biological (garlic extract) Vero cells 0.03–10 μg/mL; 72 h EC50: 8.829 μg/mL 16.05 [177]