Silver Nanoparticles Inhibit Replication of Respiratory Syncytial Virus

Abstract

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is the leading cause of severe respiratory illnesses including bronchiolitis and pneumonia in young children. In this project, we utilized silver nanoparticles conjugated to various proteins, as well as poly lactic acid, to study the inhibition of RSV infection in cell culture. We selected poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP), recombinant RSV fusion (F) protein, and Bovine Serum Albumin as chemical conjugates with silver nanoparticles. These nanoparticles were analyzed using transmission electron microscopy. After the cytotoxicity of each of the nanoparticle conjugates was established using the Trypan Blue Exclusion Assay, they were mixed with RSV and added to HEp-2 cells. The effectiveness of RSV inhibition was then evaluated by microscopic examination for syncytia formation and by immunofluorescence microscopy. Our results revealed that PVP-coated silver nanoparticles, which showed low toxicity to cells at low concentrations, inhibited RSV infection by 44%, a significant reduction compared to other controls. In this project, we researched the effectiveness of silver nanoparticles for the inhibition of RSV infection. Based on our results, PVP-coated silver nanoparticles seem to be a promising candidate for future RSV treatment research in animal models.