A Nanomechanical Study on Deciphering the Stickiness of SARS-CoV-2 on Inanimate Surfaces.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces
; 12(52): 58360-58368, 2020 Dec 30.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-989662
ABSTRACT
The SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the COVID-19 epidemic can be transmitted via respiratory droplet-contaminated surfaces or fomites, which urgently requires a fundamental understanding of intermolecular interactions of the coronavirus with various surfaces. The corona-like component of the outer surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virion, named spike protein, is a key target for the adsorption and persistence of SARS-CoV-2 on various surfaces. However, a lack of knowledge in intermolecular interactions between spike protein and different substrate surfaces has resulted in ineffective preventive measures and inaccurate information. Herein, we quantified the surface interaction and adhesion energy of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein with a series of inanimate surfaces via atomic force microscopy under a simulated respiratory droplet environment. Among four target surfaces, polystyrene was found to exhibit the strongest adhesion, followed by stainless steel (SS), gold, and glass. The environmental factors (e.g., pH and temperature) played a role in mediating the spike protein binding. According to systematic quantification on a series of inanimate surfaces, the adhesion energy of spike protein was found to be (i) 0-1 mJ/m2 for hydrophilic inorganics (e.g., silica and glass) due to the lack of hydrogen bonding, (ii) 2-9 mJ/m2 for metals (e.g., alumina, SS, and copper) due to the variation of their binding capacity, and (iii) 6-11 mJ/m2 for hydrophobic polymers (e.g., medical masks, safety glass, and nitrile gloves) due to stronger hydrophobic interactions. The quantitative analysis of the nanomechanics of spike proteins will enable a protein-surface model database for SARS-CoV-2 to help generate effective preventive strategies to tackle the epidemic.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Polystyrenes
/
Stainless Steel
/
Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus
/
SARS-CoV-2
/
Glass
/
Gold
Type of study:
Systematic review/Meta Analysis
Language:
English
Journal:
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces
Journal subject:
Biotechnology
/
Biomedical Engineering
Year:
2020
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Acsami.0c16800
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