Silver nanoparticles for treatment of COVID-19 and other viral diseases

Abstract

Viral diseases remain a major health challenge affecting man. They have been responsible for most of the disease outbreaks and pandemics including Ebola, influenza, dengue, hepatitis, Chikungunya and the burning coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). Incessant resistance, mutations, emergence and re-emergence of virus strains in virulent forms inclusively constrain the efficacy of most antiviral medications. Moreover, inadequate delivery to targets at effective doses, single target mechanisms and unbearable side effects also retard their efficient clinical applications. To mitigate these, the incorporation of nanotechnology into therapeutic designs has afforded the discovery of bioactive nanomaterials such as silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with improved activities, acute delivery to targets and multi-target-directed mechanisms amenable to overcoming viral resistance. Interestingly, AgNPs mostly showed higher potency than many antiviral drugs upon investigation against a range of viral diseases including COVID-19. Although, some limitations suggestively affect their progression to clinical trials as expected, however, these could be resolved through advanced modifications.