Antiviral potential of nanoparticles for the treatment of Coronavirus infections.

BACKGROUND: On 31st December 2019 in Wuhan, China, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), was acknowledged. This virus spread quickly throughout the world causing a global pandemic. The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic disease on 11th March 2020. Since then, the whole world has come together and have developed several vaccines against this deadly virus. Similarly, several alternative searches for pandemic disease therapeutics are still ongoing. One of them has been identified as nanotechnology. It has demonstrated significant promise for detecting and inhibiting a variety of viruses, including coronaviruses. Several nanoparticles, including gold nanoparticles, silver nanoparticles, quantum dots, carbon dots, graphene oxide nanoparticles, and zinc oxide nanoparticles, have previously demonstrated remarkable antiviral activity against a diverse array of viruses. OBJECTIVE: This review aims to provide a basic and comprehensive overview of COVID-19's initial global outbreak and its mechanism of infiltration into human host cells, as well as the detailed mechanism and inhibitory effects of various nanoparticles against this virus. In addition to nanoparticles, this review focuses on the role of several antiviral drugs used against COVID-19 to date. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 has severely disrupted the social and economic lives of people all over the world. Due to a lack of adequate medical facilities, countries have struggled to maintain control of the situation. Neither a drug nor a vaccine has a 100% efficacy rate. As a result, nanotechnology may be a better therapeutic alternative for this pandemic disease.

COVID-19: morphology and mechanism of the SARS-CoV-2, global outbreak, medication, vaccines and future of the virus.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a lethal virus that was detected back on 31st December 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei province in China, and since then this virus has been spreading across the globe causing a global outbreak and has left the world fighting against the virus. The disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 was named COVID-19 and this was declared a pandemic disease by the World Health Organization on 11th March 2020. Several nations are trying to develop a vaccine that can save millions of lives. This review outlines the morphological features of the virus describing the outer and inner structures of the virus along with the entry mechanism of the virus into the host body and the infection process. Detailed reports of global outbreak along with preventive measures have also been included, with special emphasis on China, the United States of America, India, Italy, and South Korea. Broad-spectrum antiviral drugs being used at various health care centres around the world, namely Remdesivir, Camostat & Nafamostat, Famotidine, Chloroquine & Hydroxychloroquine, Lopinavir/ritonavir, Ivermectin, and Tocilizumab & Sarilumab have also been included. World Health Organization guidelines on preventive measures and use of soaps, alcohol-based hand-rubs and wearing face masks have also been described. The vaccines that are in one of the phases of human trials, namely Oxford University's vaccine, the United States-based Moderna's vaccine, India's Covaxin and the Russian vaccine, have also been incorporated in the review article.