1.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
; 108(1): 61-6, 2011 Jan 04.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-21173278
ABSTRACT
N,N-dodecyl,methyl-polyethylenimine coatings applied to solid surfaces have been shown by us to disinfect aqueous solutions of influenza viruses. Herein we elucidate the mechanism of this phenomenon. Infectivity-, protein-, RNA-, and scanning electron microscopy-based experiments reveal that, upon contact with the hydrophobic polycationic coating, influenza viruses (including pathogenic human and avian, both wild-type and drug-resistant, strains) irreversibly adhere to it, followed by structural damage and inactivation; subsequently, viral RNA is released into solution, while proteins remain adsorbed.