Antiviral activity of biosynthesized copper nanoparticle by Juglans regia green husk aqueous extract and Iron nanoparticle: molecular docking and in-vitro studies

The interaction between nanoparticles (NPs) and viruses is attracting interest because of the antiviral potential of NPs. This study aims to investigate the antiviral potential of NPs against Herpes simplex virus types 1 (HSV-1).

Molecular docking studies were conducted by Molegro virtual docker software. An extract of Juglans regia green husk was utilized to biosynthesize copper-oxide nanoparticles (CuNPs). The cytotoxicity of NPs was evaluated by MTT assay. Different treatment assays were conducted. Another assay was designed to employ the concentration of 300 μg/ml of CuNPs, which is the highest concentration that did not precipitate. Finally, chemically synthesized Iron oxide nanoparticles (FeNPs) were utilized to adsorb CuNPs. The antiviral effect of FeNPs was investigated, separately.

Docking results confirmed that NPs could interact with the HSV-1 glycoproteins and prevent viral entry. MTT assay results illustrated that the minimum non-toxic concentration (MNTD) of CuNPs is 100 μg/ml which did not exhibit antiviral properties. Employing a noncytotoxic concentration of FeNPs (300 mg/ml) in combination with cytotoxic concentration of CuNPs (300 μg /ml), eliminated the cytotoxicity effects of CuNPs. Exposure of the virus with the combination of CuNPs and FeNPs resulted in 4.5 log10 TCID50 reductions in HSV-1. While treating HSV-1 with only FeNPs reduced the titer of virus by 3.25 log10 TCID50.

The results highlight that combination of CuNPs and FeNPs have antiviral activity against HSV-1. Moreover, FeNPs demonstrated antiviral properties against HSV-1 separately.