Inactivation of herpes simplex virus type 1 & adenovirus type 5 by direct electric current at a biocompatible level...

In vitro studies were conducted to quantify the effectiveness of low-level direct electric current (DC) on infectivity of Herpes Simplex Virus type 1 (HSV-1), Adenovirus type 5 (AdV-5), and on viability of Vero cells.

Both viruses and Vero cells were exposed to DC by using platinum electrodes connected to a DC source, then the viral infectivity and cell viability were assessed by plaque and MTT assay, respectively.

The results showed that both viruses were inactivated completely by 200 microA DC in 10 minutes (current density = 20 microA/mm2) while this amount of DC had no significant changes on the viability of Vero cells (viability > 90 %). Inactivation degree of HSV-1 and AdV-5 was 5 and 4 log per mL, respectively. Further study is required to investigate the mechanism of inactivation by this method.

DC at a biocompatible level showed the competency to inactivate the viruses in the solution completely. So it is a useful tool for designing a noninvasive method for decontamination of biological or synthetic fluids. This method or derivation can be considered as an easy, fast, and economical method for fluid decontamination.