Gold Nanoparticles for Antiviral Applications: Design Principles, Surface Engineering, and Mechanistic Insights

Area of Science:

• Nanotechnology
• Materials Science
• Virology

Background:

• Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are adaptable nanoplatforms for antiviral applications due to tunable properties.
• Their size, morphology, plasmonic characteristics, and surface chemistry can be engineered for specific functions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the design principles of antiviral AuNPs from a structure-function-mechanism viewpoint.
• To provide a framework for developing next-generation AuNP-based antiviral nanotherapeutics.

Main Methods:

• Summarized synthetic routes (e.g., citrate reduction, seed-mediated growth, green synthesis) and interface-programming strategies.
• Discussed surface engineering approaches (e.g., PEGylation, nucleic acids, antibodies, peptides, glycans, drugs, biomimetic coatings).
• Examined AuNP inhibition of viral life cycle stages and immune modulation.

Main Results:

• Synthesis methods dictate AuNP size, morphology, and surface properties, influencing biofunctionalization.
• Surface ligand characteristics (density, orientation, stability) are critical for biological performance.
• Functionalized AuNPs can target various stages of viral replication, including entry, replication, assembly, and egress, and can be used for photothermal inactivation or vaccine delivery.

Conclusions:

• Rational design of AuNPs requires understanding structure-activity relationships and nano-bio interactions.
• Challenges include standardization, dynamic interactions, and translational barriers (safety, reproducibility, scale-up).
• This review offers a conceptual framework for advancing AuNP antiviral nanotherapeutics.