Prospective of graphene and graphene-based derivatives to combat SARS-CoV-2 infection
In a study published in the latest issue of the journal Materials Today Advances, a team of researchers explored the utilities of graphene (GO) and its derivatives in combating the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), highlighting its applications in the biomedical domain.
GO has unique mechanical, electrical, and piezoelectric capabilities and exhibits antiviral properties due to the presence of several oxygen-containing functional groups, all of which make it an ideal choice for making products for containing or treating SARS-CoV-2 infections. Notably, not only GO nanoparticles, but GO-derivatives, such as reduced graphene oxide (r-GO), fullerene, graphene quantum dots (GQDs), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), etc. are quite useful against SARS-CoV-2.
Given unique optical and electrochemical behavior, excellent electrocatalytic activities, and thermal, mechanical, and electrical properties of GO and its derivatives, they have been used to design effective biosensors to detect SARS-CoV-2 in patient blood and saliva samples. The authors highlighted a research work wherein a biosensing platform used graphene-oxide-glazed double interdigitated capacitive (DIDC) to detect the spike protein (S1) of SARS-CoV-2. This electroactive immune-sensing platform was rapid, highly sensitive, and showed a wide detection range. It exhibited selectivity against blood-borne antigens and could stand for almost ten days at 5°C. Therefore, this biochip could be potentially used as a portable, rapid point-of-care (POC) method for early diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 using clinical samples.
The researchers also elaborately described a six-step process to synthesize a graphene-based PPE-kit with a high antimicrobial and antiviral efficiency. Further, they described the use of laser-induced graphene (LIG) technique in the fabrication of GO-coated self-sterilizing, re-usable face masks of the highest quality. In a study by Huang et al., the LIG-deposited face masks have shown 81.57% inhibition against the E. coli bacteria. Also, Guardian G-Volt face masks based on LIG techniques have effectively confined microbes by filtering out ~99% contaminants of more than 0.3 μm.
There is an urgent need to develop diagnostic devices and treatment strategies to combat the SARS-CoV-2-induced pandemic. To this end, this research paper evaluates the utilities of GO and its derivatives in the fabrication of biosensors, personal protection equipment (PPE) kits, 3-D printing, and antiviral coatings, all of which may help to combat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The authors reviewed the cytotoxicity of GO and its derivatives and suggested that they are not as hazardous as other carbon materials, making them feasible as next-generation antivirals. Further, GO’s cytotoxicity was reduced when in close proximity to serum proteins, thus indicating that while it is poisonous to bacteria, it could be effective as a new-age antibiotic.
Other biomedical applications of graphene nanoparticles could be in bone fixation devices, scaffolds, and implants in orthopedics. However, clinical use would mandate more safety testing and research to confirm their biocompatibility with human tissues.
January 20 2022
