New Insights into Antiviral Natural Formulations: Biopolymeric Films for the Prevention and Treatment of a Wide Gamma of Viral Infections

Ayala-Peña, Victoria Belén; Jaimes, Ana Karen; Conesa, Ana Lucía; García, Cybele Carina; Sepulveda, Claudia Soledad; Dellatorre, Fernando Gaspar; Latour, Ezequiel; Ponce, Nora Marta Andrea; Álvarez, Vera Alejandra; Lassalle, Verónica Leticia

doi:10.3390/v17020216

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Open AccessArticle

New Insights into Antiviral Natural Formulations: Biopolymeric Films for the Prevention and Treatment of a Wide Gamma of Viral Infections

by

Victoria Belén Ayala-Peña

^1,*,†,

Ana Karen Jaimes

^2,3,4,†,

Ana Lucía Conesa

¹,

Cybele Carina García

^2,5

,

Claudia Soledad Sepulveda

^2,5

,

Fernando Gaspar Dellatorre

^2,6,

Ezequiel Latour

⁶,

Nora Marta Andrea Ponce

^2,7,

Vera Alejandra Álvarez

^2,4

and

Verónica Leticia Lassalle

^2,3,*

¹

Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional del Sur, San Juan 670, Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires 8000, Argentina

²

Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires 8000, Argentina

³

INQUISUR, Departamento de Química, Universidad Nacional del Sur, Av. Alem 1253, Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires 8000, Argentina

⁴

Facultad de Ingeniería, INTEMA, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMdP), Av. Colón 10850, Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires 2695, Argentina

⁵

Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. Int. Güiraldes 2610, Buenos Aires 1053, Argentina

⁶

Facultad Regional Chubut. Grupo de Investigación y Desarrollo Tecnológico en Acuicultura y Pesca (GIDTAP), Universidad Tecnológica Nacional, Av. del Trabajo 1536, Puerto Madryn 3000, Argentina

⁷

Departamento de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales and Centro de Investigaciones en Hidratos de Carbono (CIHIDECAR-UBA), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Buenos Aires 1053, Argentina

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Viruses 2025, 17(2), 216; https://doi.org/10.3390/v17020216

Submission received: 13 December 2024 / Revised: 24 January 2025 / Accepted: 30 January 2025 / Published: 1 February 2025

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural, Semisynthetic, and Synthetic Antiviral Drugs Targeting HIV and SARS-CoV-2)

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Abstract

Viral infections remain a major concern, as existing treatments often yield inadequate responses or lead to the development of antiviral resistance in some cases. Fucoidan extracted from Undaria pinnatifida (F) is a natural sulphated polysaccharide that exhibits antiviral action. Despite its potential, the biomedical application of F is limited due to its difficult administration through trans-mucosal, skin, or oral ingestion. The most effective way to solve these problems is to propose novel methods of administration aiming to ensure better contact between the biopolymers and pathogens, leading to their inactivation. In this work, the synthesis of films based on chitosan (Ch)-coupled F is reported, aiming to generate a synergic effect between both biopolymers in terms of their antiviral and antioxidant capability. Biocomposites were prepared by a sonochemical method. They were characterized to infer structural properties, functionality, and possible F-Ch interactions by using Zeta potential, FTIR, and XRD techniques. The biocomposites showed excellent film-forming ability. They also exhibited improved antioxidant activity with respect to F and Ch individually and proved to be non-cytotoxic. These results demonstrate, for the first time, the antiviral activity of F:Ch biocomposites against bovine coronavirus and human viruses (adenovirus, poliovirus, herpes simplex, and respiratory syncytial virus), which could be applied in film form to prevent or treat viral infections.

Keywords: antiviral; fucoidan; chitosan; scavenger; formulations

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MDPI and ACS Style

Ayala-Peña, V.B.; Jaimes, A.K.; Conesa, A.L.; García, C.C.; Sepulveda, C.S.; Dellatorre, F.G.; Latour, E.; Ponce, N.M.A.; Álvarez, V.A.; Lassalle, V.L. New Insights into Antiviral Natural Formulations: Biopolymeric Films for the Prevention and Treatment of a Wide Gamma of Viral Infections. Viruses 2025, 17, 216. https://doi.org/10.3390/v17020216

AMA Style

Ayala-Peña VB, Jaimes AK, Conesa AL, García CC, Sepulveda CS, Dellatorre FG, Latour E, Ponce NMA, Álvarez VA, Lassalle VL. New Insights into Antiviral Natural Formulations: Biopolymeric Films for the Prevention and Treatment of a Wide Gamma of Viral Infections. Viruses. 2025; 17(2):216. https://doi.org/10.3390/v17020216

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ayala-Peña, Victoria Belén, Ana Karen Jaimes, Ana Lucía Conesa, Cybele Carina García, Claudia Soledad Sepulveda, Fernando Gaspar Dellatorre, Ezequiel Latour, Nora Marta Andrea Ponce, Vera Alejandra Álvarez, and Verónica Leticia Lassalle. 2025. "New Insights into Antiviral Natural Formulations: Biopolymeric Films for the Prevention and Treatment of a Wide Gamma of Viral Infections" Viruses 17, no. 2: 216. https://doi.org/10.3390/v17020216

APA Style

Ayala-Peña, V. B., Jaimes, A. K., Conesa, A. L., García, C. C., Sepulveda, C. S., Dellatorre, F. G., Latour, E., Ponce, N. M. A., Álvarez, V. A., & Lassalle, V. L. (2025). New Insights into Antiviral Natural Formulations: Biopolymeric Films for the Prevention and Treatment of a Wide Gamma of Viral Infections. Viruses, 17(2), 216. https://doi.org/10.3390/v17020216

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New Insights into Antiviral Natural Formulations: Biopolymeric Films for the Prevention and Treatment of a Wide Gamma of Viral Infections

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