Heath Brittany N, Woodson Caitlin M, McMinn Chelsey, Bock Ryan M, Kehn-Hall Kylene
Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States.
Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States.
Front Microbiol. 2025 Aug 25;16:1637848. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1637848. eCollection 2025.
Medical interventions, such as masks, were a cornerstone in mitigating the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Since 2019, the scientific community has increasingly focused on exploring avenues for pandemic prevention and preparedness to enhance responses to future viral outbreaks. One such area of interest explores the use of additives, such as silicon nitride (Si₃N₄), in masks to enhance the antiviral properties of personal protective equipment. Si₃N₄ powder has been shown to inactivate SARS-CoV-2 under aqueous conditions, with a similar yet modest reduction in virus when embedded into non-woven fabric. This study aimed to optimize the use of Si₃N₄ as an antiviral agent. We addressed this knowledge gap by comparing the viral inactivation potential of β-Si₃N₄ and α-Si₃N₄ powders against multiple SARS-CoV-2 lineages and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Additionally, we tested a refined non-woven fabric embedded with α-Si₃N₄ against SARS-CoV-2 (Lineage A). The results presented here suggest that α-Si₃N₄ was the most effective in reducing the infectious virus through viral RNA degradation, as determined by plaque assay and RT-qPCR. The most promising finding was the significant reduction of SARS-CoV-2 after only 10 min of exposure to refined α-Si₃N₄-embedded fabric. Thus, silicon nitride could be an invaluable inorganic additive in personal protective equipment during future viral epidemics and pandemics.
口罩等医学干预措施是减轻严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）传播的基石。自2019年以来，科学界越来越关注探索大流行预防和准备的途径，以加强对未来病毒爆发的应对。一个感兴趣的领域是探索在口罩中使用添加剂，如氮化硅（Si₃N₄），以增强个人防护装备的抗病毒性能。已证明Si₃N₄粉末在水性条件下可使SARS-CoV-2失活，当嵌入无纺布时，病毒也有类似但适度的减少。本研究旨在优化Si₃N₄作为抗病毒剂的使用。我们通过比较β-Si₃N₄和α-Si₃N₄粉末对多种SARS-CoV-2谱系和中东呼吸综合征冠状病毒（MERS-CoV）的病毒灭活潜力，填补了这一知识空白。此外，我们测试了一种嵌入α-Si₃N₄的精制无纺布对SARS-CoV-2（A谱系）的效果。此处呈现的结果表明，通过噬斑测定和RT-qPCR确定，α-Si₃N₄通过病毒RNA降解在减少感染性病毒方面最有效。最有前景的发现是，仅暴露于精制的嵌入α-Si₃N₄的织物10分钟后，SARS-CoV-2就显著减少。因此，在未来的病毒流行和大流行期间，氮化硅可能是个人防护装备中一种非常有价值的无机添加剂。
