Ceramic Physics Laboratory, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Sakyo-ku, Matsugasaki, Kyoto, 606-8585, Japan.
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Tokyo Medical University, 6-7-1 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-0023, Japan.
Sci Rep. 2021 Feb 3;11(1):2977. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-82608-3.
Surface inactivation of human microbial pathogens has a long history. The Smith Papyrus (2600 ~ 2200 B.C.) described the use of copper surfaces to sterilize chest wounds and drinking water. Brass and bronze on doorknobs can discourage microbial spread in hospitals, and metal-base surface coatings are used in hygiene-sensitive environments, both as inactivators and modulators of cellular immunity. A limitation of these approaches is that the reactive oxygen radicals (ROS) generated at metal surfaces also damage human cells by oxidizing their proteins and lipids. Silicon nitride (SiN) is a non-oxide ceramic compound with known surface bacterial resistance. We show here that off-stoichiometric reactions at SiN surfaces are also capable of inactivating different types of single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) viruses independent of whether their structure presents an envelop or not. The antiviral property of SiN derives from a hydrolysis reaction at its surface and the subsequent formation of reactive nitrogen species (RNS) in doses that could be metabolized by mammalian cells but are lethal to pathogens. Real-time reverse transcription (RT)-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests of viral RNA and in situ Raman spectroscopy suggested that the products of SiN hydrolysis directly react with viral proteins and RNA. SiN may have a role in controlling human epidemics related to ssRNA mutant viruses.
人体微生物病原体的表面失活已有很长的历史。《史密斯纸莎草纸》（公元前 2600 年至 2200 年）描述了使用铜表面来消毒胸部伤口和饮用水。门把手的黄铜和青铜可以阻止医院中的微生物传播，并且金属基表面涂层用于卫生敏感环境中，既可以作为细胞免疫的灭活剂，也可以作为调节剂。这些方法的一个局限性是，金属表面产生的活性氧自由基（ROS）也通过氧化其蛋白质和脂质来破坏人体细胞。氮化硅（SiN）是一种已知具有表面细菌抗性的非氧化物陶瓷化合物。我们在这里表明，SiN 表面的非化学计量反应也能够使不同类型的单链 RNA（ssRNA）病毒失活，而与它们的结构是否具有包膜无关。SiN 的抗病毒特性源自其表面的水解反应以及随后形成的活性氮物质（RNS），其剂量可以被哺乳动物细胞代谢，但对病原体却是致命的。病毒 RNA 的实时逆转录（RT）-聚合酶链反应（PCR）测试和原位拉曼光谱表明，SiN 水解的产物直接与病毒蛋白和 RNA 反应。SiN 可能在控制与 ssRNA 突变病毒有关的人类流行病方面发挥作用。
