Carbon dots for effective photodynamic inactivation of virus

The antiviral function of carbon dots (CDots) with visible light exposure was evaluated, for which the model bacteriophages MS2 as a surrogate of small RNA viruses were used. The results show clearly that the visible light-activated CDots are highly effective in diminishing the infectivity of MS2 in both low and high titer samples to the host E. coli cells, and the antiviral effects are dot concentration- and treatment time-dependent. The action of CDots apparently causes no significant damage to the structural integrity and morphology of the MS2 phage or the breakdown of the capsid proteins, but does result in the protein carbonylation (a commonly used indicator for protein oxidation) and the degradation of viral genomic RNA. Mechanistically the results may be understood in the framework of photodynamic effects that are associated with the unique excited state properties and processes of CDots. Opportunities for potentially broad applications of CDots coupled with visible/natural light in the prevention and control of viral transmission and spread are highlighted and discussed.