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Lignin-Based Mucus-Mimicking Antiviral Hydrogels with Enzyme Stability and Tunable Porosity
- Mucus is a complex hydrogel that acts as a defensive and protective barrier in various parts of the human body. Therise in the level of viral infections has underscored the importance of advancing research into mucus-mimicking hydrogels for theefficient design of antiviral agents. Herein, we demonstrate the gram-scale synthesis of biocompatible, lignin-based virus-bindinginhibitors that reduce waste and ensure long-term availability. The lignin-based inhibitors are equipped with sulfate moieties, whichare known binding partners for many viruses, including SARS-CoV-2 and herpes viruses. In addition, cross-linking the synthesizedinhibitors yielded hydrogels that mimicked native mucus concerning surface functionality and rheology. The degree of sulfationexhibits a very strong impact on the mesh size distribution of the hydrogels, which provides a new means to fine-tune the steric andelectrostatic contributions of the virus−hydrogel interaction. This feature strongly impacts theMucus is a complex hydrogel that acts as a defensive and protective barrier in various parts of the human body. Therise in the level of viral infections has underscored the importance of advancing research into mucus-mimicking hydrogels for theefficient design of antiviral agents. Herein, we demonstrate the gram-scale synthesis of biocompatible, lignin-based virus-bindinginhibitors that reduce waste and ensure long-term availability. The lignin-based inhibitors are equipped with sulfate moieties, whichare known binding partners for many viruses, including SARS-CoV-2 and herpes viruses. In addition, cross-linking the synthesizedinhibitors yielded hydrogels that mimicked native mucus concerning surface functionality and rheology. The degree of sulfationexhibits a very strong impact on the mesh size distribution of the hydrogels, which provides a new means to fine-tune the steric andelectrostatic contributions of the virus−hydrogel interaction. This feature strongly impacts the sequestration capability of the lignin-based hydrogels, which is demonstrated by infection inhibition assays involving human herpes simplex virus 1, influenza A viruses,and the bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli). These measurements showed a reduction in plaque-forming units (HSV-1) and colony-forming units (E. coli) by more than 4 orders of magnitude, indicating the potent inhibition by the lignin-based hydrogels…




