Rapid Inactivation of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by Tungsten Trioxide-Based (WO 3 ) Photocatalysis

  1. Silvia Ghezzi
  2. Isabel Pagani
  3. Guido Poli
  4. Stefano Perboni
  5. Elisa Vicenzi

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Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiological agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is transmitted person-to-person via respiratory droplets and, likely, via smaller droplet nuclei light enough to remain suspended in the air for hours and contaminate surfaces particularly in indoor conditions. Thus, effective measures are needed to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission in indoor environments. In this regard, we have investigated whether a system based on a filter combining Tungsten Trioxide-Based (WO 3 ) photocatalysis and an antiviral fabric treated-copper nanocluster could inactivate SARS-CoV-2. To this purpose, an infectious SARS-CoV-2 suspension was introduced in the upper opening of a closed cylinder containing a WO 3 filter and a lightbased system that activates WO 3 and the antiviral fabric. From the bottom exit, aliquots of fluid were collected every 10 min (up to 60 min) and tested for their infectivity by means of a viral plaque assay in Vero cells whereas, in parallel, the viral RNA content was measured by quantitative PCR (qPCR). As we have previously shown for SARS-CoV, a 1:1,000 ratio of plaque forming units (PFU) vs. viral RNA copies was observed also for SARS-CoV-2. After 10 min, the infectious viral content was already decreased by 98.2% reaching 100% inactivation after 30 min whereas the SARS-CoV-2 RNA load was decreased of 1.5 log 10 after 30 min. Thus, in spite of only a partial decrease of viral RNA, SARS-CoV-2 infectivity was completely abolished by the WO 3 photocatalysis system by 30 min. These results support the hypothesis that this system could be exploited to achieve SARS-CoV-2 inactivation in indoor environments.

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  1. ScreenIT

    SciScore for 10.1101/2020.08.01.232199: (What is this?)

    Please note, not all rigor criteria are appropriate for all manuscripts.

    Table 1: Rigor

    Institutional Review Board Statementnot detected.
    Randomizationnot detected.
    Blindingnot detected.
    Power Analysisnot detected.
    Sex as a biological variablenot detected.
    Cell Line Authenticationnot detected.

    Table 2: Resources

    Experimental Models: Cell Lines
    SentencesResources
    SARS-CoV-2 plaque assay: Vero cells were seeded at 1.5×106 cell/well in 6-well plates in Eagle’s Minimum Essential Medium (EMEM) supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum (complete medium).
    Vero
    suggested: None
    Software and Algorithms
    SentencesResources
    Statistical analysis: Prism GraphPad software v.
    Prism GraphPad
    suggested: None

    Results from OddPub: We did not detect open data. We also did not detect open code. Researchers are encouraged to share open data when possible (see Nature blog).

    Results from LimitationRecognizer: An explicit section about the limitations of the techniques employed in this study was not found. We encourage authors to address study limitations.

    Results from TrialIdentifier: No clinical trial numbers were referenced.

    Results from Barzooka: We did not find any issues relating to the usage of bar graphs.

    Results from JetFighter: We did not find any issues relating to colormaps.

    Results from rtransparent:
    • Thank you for including a conflict of interest statement. Authors are encouraged to include this statement when submitting to a journal.
    • No funding statement was detected.
    • No protocol registration statement was detected.

    About SciScore

    SciScore is an automated tool that is designed to assist expert reviewers by finding and presenting formulaic information scattered throughout a paper in a standard, easy to digest format. SciScore checks for the presence and correctness of RRIDs (research resource identifiers), and for rigor criteria such as sex and investigator blinding. For details on the theoretical underpinning of rigor criteria and the tools shown here, including references cited, please follow this link.

  2. Version published to 10.1101/2020.08.01.232199v1 on bioRxiv