Zsolt Csabai
University of Szeged, Hungary
Title: The analysis of antiviral effect of photoreactive surfaces
Biography
Biography: Zsolt Csabai
Abstract
The pandemic situations pointed out the vulnerability of population to infectious diseases. Reactive plasmonic titanium dioxide-based polymeric nanocomposite film was prepared with a thickness of 1-1.5 µm, which produces Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) under visible light irradiation (λ≥435 nm) [1]. These species are suitable for photooxidation of adsorbed organic molecules (e.g., benzoic acid) on the nanocomposite surface. Moreover, high molecular weight proteins are also degraded or partially oxidized in this process on the composite surface. Since the Ag0-TiO2/polymer composite film used showed excellent reactivity in the formation of OH• radicals, the photocatalytic effect on high molecular weight (M=∼66.000 Da) Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) protein was investigated [2]. This film showed obvious antibacterial properties against Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, or Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) [3,4]. The focus of our studies is to analyze photoreactive composite film surfaces that may have antiviral effects upon illumination. Viruses are unable to propagate on lifeless surfaces, they can retain their infectivity and spread further on contact with these surfaces. We tested this antiviral effect using an afirborne-transmitted Pseudorabies virus. As a result, we obtained a drastic decrease in infection capability of the virus on the photoreactive surface compared to the control surface.
Conclusion: The synthetized plasmonic Ag-TiO2 photocatalyst containing composite layers are able to produce enough surface ROS to eliminate viable viruses. We demonstrated the antiviral effect illuminated photoreactive surfaces exerts antiviral effect in liquid and dried states too.