Bactericidal and Antiviral Bionic Metalized Nanocoatings

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Infectious Disease Control

Background:

• Bionanocoatings offer diverse functionalities to surfaces in living organisms.
• Previous work identified mechanisms for self-assembly of insect corneal nanocoatings and developed bionic nanocoatings using Drosophila Retinin.

Purpose of the Study:

• To expand the versatility of bionic nanocoatings by utilizing diverse Retinin-like proteins and various metallization techniques.
• To identify optimal protocols for constructing safe and anti-infective metalized bionic nanocoatings with bactericidal and antiviral properties.

Main Methods:

• Identification and utilization of diverse Retinin-like proteins.
• Metallization of bionic nanocoatings using nickel, silver, and copper ions.
• Comparative assessment of bactericidal, antiviral, and cytotoxic properties of the resulting nanocoatings.

Main Results:

• Successful construction of metalized bionic nanocoatings using various Retinin-like proteins and metal ions.
• Identification of specific protocols yielding effective bactericidal and antiviral properties.
• Demonstration of safe and anti-infective characteristics of the optimized nanocoatings.

Conclusions:

• Optimized metalized bionic nanocoatings demonstrate significant anti-infective potential.
• Upscaled application on public surfaces offers a safe and economical strategy for infection control.
• This research provides a pathway for developing advanced antimicrobial surfaces.