Plasma-activated water: An alternative disinfectant for S protein inactivation to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection

The role of disinfectants and sanitizers during COVID-19 pandemic: advantages and deleterious effects on humans and the environment

Disinfectants and sanitizers are essential preventive agents against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic; however, the pandemic crisis was marred by undue hype, which led to the indiscriminate use of disinfectants and sanitizers. Despite demonstrating a beneficial role in the control and prevention of COVID-19, there are crucial concerns regarding the large-scale use of disinfectants and sanitizers, including the side effects on human and animal health along with harmful impacts exerted on the environment and ecological balance. This article discusses the roles of disinfectants and sanitizers in the control and prevention of the current pandemic and highlights updated disinfection techniques against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This article provides evidence of the deleterious effects of disinfectants and sanitizers exerted on humans, animals, and the environment as well as suggests mitigation strategies to reduce these effects. Additionally, potential technologies and approaches for the reduction of these effects and the development of safe, affordable, and effective disinfectants are discussed, particularly, eco-friendly technologies using nanotechnology and nanomedicine.

Applications of Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Technology in Medicine, Agriculture and Food Industry

In recent years, cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAPP) technology has received substantial attention due to its valuable properties including operational simplicity, low running cost, and environmental friendliness. Several different gases (air, nitrogen, helium, argon) and techniques (corona discharge, dielectric barrier discharge, plasma jet) can be used to generate plasma at atmospheric pressure and low temperature. Plasma treatment is routinely used in materials science to modify the surface properties (e.g., wettability, chemical composition, adhesion) of a wide range of materials (e.g., polymers, textiles, metals, glasses). Moreover, CAPP seems to be a powerful tool for the inactivation of various pathogens (e.g., bacteria, fungi, viruses) in the food industry (e.g., food and packing material decontamination, shelf life extension), agriculture (e.g., disinfection of seeds, fertilizer, water, soil) and medicine (e.g., sterilization of medical equipment, implants). Plasma medicine also holds great promise for direct therapeutic treatments in dentistry (tooth bleaching), dermatology (atopic eczema, wound healing) and oncology (melanoma, glioblastoma). Overall, CAPP technology is an innovative, powerful and effective tool offering a broad application potential. However, its limitations and negative impacts need to be determined in order to receive regulatory approval and consumer acceptance.

Construction and applications of SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviruses: a mini review

The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has posed a serious threat to global public health and social stability. There is an urgent need for understanding the nature and infection mechanism of the virus. Owing to its high infectivity and pathogenicity and lack of effective treatments, live SARS-CoV-2 has to be handled in biosafety level 3 laboratories, which has impeded research into SARS-CoV-2 and the development of vaccines and therapeutics. Pseudotyped viruses that lack certain gene sequences of the virulent virus are safer and can be investigated in biosafety level 2 laboratories, providing a useful virological tool for the study of SARS-CoV-2. In this review, we will discuss the construction of SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviruses based on different packaging systems, current applications, limitations, and further explorations.

Plasma bioscience and its application to medicine

Nonthermal atmospheric pressure biocompatible plasma (NBP), alternatively called bio-cold plasma, is a partially ionized gas that consists of charged particles, neutral atoms and molecules, photons, an electric field, and heat. Recently, nonthermal plasma-based technology has been applied to bioscience, medicine, agriculture, food processing, and safety. Various plasma device configurations and electrode layouts has fast-tracked plasma applications in the treatment of biological and material surfaces. The NBP action mechanism may be related to the synergy of plasma constituents, such as ultraviolet radiation or a reactive species. Recently, plasma has been used in the inactivation of viruses and resistant microbes, such as fungal cells, bacteria, spores, and biofilms made by microbes. It has also been used to heal wounds, coagulate blood, degrade pollutants, functionalize material surfaces, kill cancers, and for dental applications. This review provides an outline of NBP devices and their applications in bioscience and medicine. We also discuss the role of plasma-activated liquids in biological applications, such as cancer treatments and agriculture. The individual adaptation of plasma to meet specific medical requirements necessitates real-time monitoring of both the plasma performance and the target that is treated and will provide a new paradigm of plasma-based therapeutic clinical systems.