Effect of Metal Nanoparticles on EBV-Associated Cell Culture

Abstract

Today, one of the topical areas of research is the search for antiviral drugs to fi ght against virus-associated oncological manifestations. One of the viruses for which a role in the transformation of cells is proved is Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which is associated with a variety of lymphoproliferative diseases. The use of drugs that not only inhibit the replication of the virus but also stimulate the elimination of tumor cells is important for the treatment of tumors associated with the viruses. The purpose of this work was to investigate the ability of silver and gold nanoparticles to inhibit EBV replication under conditions of chronic infection. Methods. The objects of the study were 5 to 20 nm gold and silver nanoparticles stabilized with tryptophan, sodium dodecyl sulfate, and citrate. Th e investigations were performed in P3HR-1 (virus-productive) lymphoblastoid cells. MTT-assay, neutral red and trypan blue dyeing were used to study cell viability. Antiviral activity was estimated by the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Transmissive electron microscopy was used to visualize nanoparticle-virus binding. Results. It was found that nanoparticles of silver and gold stabilized by tryptophan and citrate were low-toxic for the used cell cultures; the vitality of the cells was in the range of 65—100%. Silver nanoparticles in a citrate buffer were more effective against EBV because the used concentrations inhibited replication of the virus up to 70%. Gold nanoparticles reduced the amount of EBV DNA by a maximum of 16% at the lowest concentration of 0.00001 μg/mL, indicating a dose-dependent effect. The virucidal effect of gold nanoparticles against EBV was shown using transmissive electron microscopy. It was found that the interaction of the virus with 5 nm gold nanoparticles for 2 hr leads to damage of EBV virion, which indicates their virus-static effect. Conclusions. Thus, the cytotoxic and antiviral activity of silver and gold nanoparticles in different stabilizers was analyzed. Citrate buffer-stabilized silver and gold NPs were more effective against EBV.