Figure 1.

Representative mechanism of the antiviral properties of Au-NPs. On the left, a normal mechanism by which a virus infects a host cell (in this case, a eukaryotic cell) can be seen: firstly, viral attachment to the cell membrane occurs, followed by penetration into the cytoplasm; then the virus proceeds to use the cellular mechanisms to replicate its genetical material, generating virions to continue the infectious cycle. On the right, is shown a mechanism of inhibition by which Au-NPs can intervene, either by attaching themselves to the virus, blocking its attachment to the cell and consequent entry in the cell and ultimately interfering with the mechanisms of viral replication inside the cell (adapted from [88]).