Lipid biophysics and/or soft matter-inspired approach for controlling enveloped virus infectivity

Al-dalawi, Lamyaa; Dunham, Stephen P.; Rauch, Cyril

Abstract

Proven as a natural barrier against viral infection, pulmonary surfactant phospholipids have a biophysical and immunological role within the respiratory system, acting against microorganisms including viruses. Enveloped viruses have, in common, an outer bilayer membrane that forms the underlying structure for viral membrane proteins to function in an optimal way to ensure infectivity. Perturbating the membrane of viruses using exogenous lipids can be envisioned as a generic way to reduce their infectivity. In this context, the potential of exogenous lipids to be used against enveloped virus infectivity would be indicated by the resulting physical stress imposed to the viral membrane, and conical lipids, i.e. lyso-lipids, would be expected to generate stronger biophysical disturbances. We confirm that when treated with lyso-lipids the infectivity three strains of influenza virus (avian H2N3, equine H3N8 or pandemic human influenza H1N1) is reduced by up to 99% in a cell-based model. By contrast, lipids with a similar head group but two aliphatic chains were less effective (reducing infection by only 40–50%). This work opens a new path to merge concepts from different research fields, i.e. ‘soft matter physics' and virology.

Citation

Al-dalawi, L., Dunham, S. P., & Rauch, C. (2022). Lipid biophysics and/or soft matter-inspired approach for controlling enveloped virus infectivity. Journal of the Royal Society. Interface, 19(189), Article 20210943. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2021.0943

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 21, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Apr 13, 2022
• Publication Date: Apr 1, 2022
• Deposit Date: Mar 22, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 1, 2022
• Journal: Journal of The Royal Society Interface
• Print ISSN: 1742-5689
• Electronic ISSN: 1742-5662
• Publisher: The Royal Society
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 19
• Issue: 189
• Article Number: 20210943
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2021.0943
• Keywords: Biomedical Engineering; Biochemistry; Biomaterials; Bioengineering; Biophysics; Biotechnology
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/7643727
• Publisher URL: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsif.2021.0943