Disruption Mechanisms of Enveloped Viruses by Ionic and Nonionic Surfactants

Abstract

The world has witnessed multiple pandemics and endemics caused by enveloped viruses in the past century. To name a few, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and other pandemics/endemics caused by coronaviruses, influenza viruses, HIV-1, etc. The external and topical applications of surfactants have been effective in limiting the spread of viruses. While it is well-known that surfactants inactivate virus particles (virions), the mechanism of action of surfactants against enveloped virions has not yet been established. In this work, we have evaluated the surfactant-induced disruption mechanism of a cocktail of enveloped viruses containing particles of mumps, measles, and rubella viruses. We applied the total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy technique to trace the temporal changes in the fluorescence signal from single virions upon the addition of a surfactant solution. We report that surfactants solubilize either the viral lipid membrane, proteins, or both. Ionic surfactants, depending on their charge and interaction type with the viral lipids and proteins, can cause bursting or perforation of the viral envelope, whereas a nonionic surfactant can cause either symmetric expansion or perforation of the viral envelope depending on the surfactant concentration.

Discovery of a Double-Stapled Short Peptide as a Long-Acting HIV-1 Inactivator with Potential for Oral Bioavailability

“…The premature Env activation ultimately leads to irreversible deactivation of viral entry machinery. , Recently, Pu et al constructed a novel small-molecule HIV-1 inactivator named FD028 through conjugating a small CD4 mimetic to a gp41-targeting fusion inhibitor . In addition to these CD4-mimetic molecules, the virucidal effect of several surfactants has been confirmed. , Although strategies mentioned above are promising, the safety of small-molecule drugs requires extensive evaluation. For instance, it has been revealed that some CD4 mimetic small molecules can enhance HIV-1 infection of CD4 – /CCR5 + cells, thus having adverse effects on the otherwise normally functioning immune system .…”