Nonthermal plasma jet mitigates viral replication and inflammation in human coronavirus 229E-infected lung cells by targeting the NF-κB and MAPK pathways.

SARS-CoV-2 is a pressing global health issue, largely driven by uncontrolled viral replication and severe proinflammatory responses. Despite significant technological progress made by humanity, medical science has frequently found itself incapable of effectively addressing pathogenic outbreaks. Nonthermal plasma is a promising technology for combating pathogenic microorganisms. Considering the pressing demand for new treatment options, we have investigated the prospects of plasma-treated medium (PTM) enriched with reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) as a promising approach to combat human corona virus (HCoV-229E). The PTM was prepared using nonthermal plasma jet (NTPJ) with air as a flowing gas. NTPJ treatment effectively reduced the viral infection in MRC-5 lung cells, as evidenced through the assessment of the cytopathogenic effects. The mRNA expression of the viral gene ACE-2, Spike (S) gene, Rd/Rp Helicase gene and the generation of inflammation markers, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β, IFN-γ,COX-2,NF-κB, CXCL-10, and CCl-5 were significantly reduced with NTPJ. Moreover, confocal microscopy analysis revealed a significant reduction in spike glycoprotein and nucleocapsid protein levels in the cytoplasm. This finding was further supported by flow cytometry analysis, which confirmed a significant decrease in spike glycoprotein levels. Furthermore, mechanism studies indicated that NTPJ may influence cellular processes in HCoV-229E infected lung cells by disrupting the NF-κB and MAPK pathways, particularly evidenced by changes in phosphorylation levels. The pretreatment of the virus with SP600125 inhibitor and NTPJ resulted in a significant reduction in the expression ratio of viral genes ACE-2, S gene and RdRP/Helicase. Therefore, these results suggest that NTPJ enhances both anti-viral and anti-inflammatory responses, making it a promising candidate for prevention and treatment of corona virus infections.