Inactivation of enveloped viruses by singlet oxygen thermally generated from a polymeric naphthalene derivative

Inactivation of viruses can be induced by singlet oxygen generating agents. The water-insoluble polymeric compound PVNE (poly (1,4-dimethyl-6-vinylnaphthalene-1,4-endoperoxide)) is used as a storage for reactive oxygen and is able to produce thermally generated 1O2 in a dark-reaction. Enveloped viruses from two different families, Semliki Forest virus (SFV, Togaviridae) and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV, Rhabdoviridae) showed a loss of infectivity of up to 8 log10/ml (TCID50) when incubated at 37 degrees C with PVNE in buffered solutions. PVNE produces singlet oxygen by thermal decomposition without irradiation. Such chemically generated oxygen excludes reactions involving radicals (type I photoreactions), a problem often encountered in photodynamic processes utilizing dyes as sensitizers. In addition, the water insolubility of the oxygen-carrier allows an easy removal and recycling from aqueous solutions. Therefore, it may prove useful in the inactivation of viruses in biological systems and may be a helpful tool in studies concerning the inactivation mechanism by 1O2.