Bioactive Antiviral Black Organic Coatings Functionalized with Silver–Silica and Silver–Zirconium for Cytocompatible Biomaterial Surfaces Against Human Coronavirus
7 affiliations
- 1Biotechnology Centre, The Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
- 2Doctoral School, The Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
- 3Łukasiewicz Research Network-Institute of Polymer Materials, 87-100 Torun, Poland
- 4Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Technology, The Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
- 5Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Science, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0T6, Canada
- 6Faculty of Medicine, Academy of Silesia, 40-555 Katowice, Poland
- 7Paul Albrechtsen Research Institute, Cancer Care Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0V9, Canada
Abstract
Bioactive antiviral biomaterial coatings capable of rapidly inactivating respiratory viruses while preserving cytocompatibility are highly desirable for development protective and high-contact biomedical materials. Here, we engineered black (Bl) organic coatings functionalized with two silver (Ag)-based inorganic additives—nano (n) Ag supported on colloidal silica (SiO2) and Ag-substituted zirconium phosphate—to develop multifunctional antiviral biomaterial surfaces. Their antiviral efficacy was evaluated against human coronavirus (HCoV) 229E, a model enveloped respiratory coronavirus, together with their cytocompatibility toward human keratinocytes (HaCaT) and human lung fibroblasts (MRC-5) cells. The morphology and elemental composition of the coatings were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Antiviral performance was quantified by a neutral red uptake cytopathic (NRU-CPE) infectivity assay following 30 and 60 min of virus–surface contact. Coatings functionalized with nAg supported on SiO2 reduced infectious virus recovery by 2.2–5.3 log10, whereas coatings containing Ag-substituted zirconium phosphate achieved reductions of 1.9–4.7 log10, depending on additive loading and exposure time. Interestingly, the unmodified black organic coating also reduced viral infectivity, indicating that both the coating matrix and Ag-based functionalization contribute to the overall antiviral performance. Importantly, all functionalized coatings maintained cell viability above the ISO 10993-5 acceptance threshold (≥70%), demonstrating excellent cytocompatibility.
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BibTeX
@article{zaczekmoczydlowska2026bioactive,
title = {{Bioactive Antiviral Black Organic Coatings Functionalized with Silver–Silica and Silver–Zirconium for Cytocompatible Biomaterial Surfaces Against Human Coronavirus}},
author = {Maja A. Zaczek-Moczydłowska and Bartosz Kopyciński and Izabella Biesiada and Purusottam Mishra and Krzysztof Matus and Saeid Ghavami and Ewa Langer and Marek J. Łos},
journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/ijms27219399},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/21/9399},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Bioactive Antiviral Black Organic Coatings Functionalized with Silver–Silica and Silver–Zirconium for Cytocompatible Biomaterial Surfaces Against Human Coronavirus
AU - Maja A. Zaczek-Moczydłowska
AU - Bartosz Kopyciński
AU - Izabella Biesiada
AU - Purusottam Mishra
AU - Krzysztof Matus
AU - Saeid Ghavami
AU - Ewa Langer
AU - Marek J. Łos
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/22
JO - International Journal of Molecular Sciences
DO - 10.3390/ijms27219399
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/21/9399
AB - Bioactive antiviral biomaterial coatings capable of rapidly inactivating respiratory viruses while preserving cytocompatibility are highly desirable for development protective and high-contact biomedical materials. Here, we engineered black (Bl) organic coatings functionalized with two silver (Ag)-based inorganic additives—nano (n) Ag supported on colloidal silica (SiO2) and Ag-substituted zirconium phosphate—to develop multifunctional antiviral biomaterial surfaces. Their antiviral efficacy was evaluated against human coronavirus (HCoV) 229E, a model enveloped respiratory coronavirus, together with their cytocompatibility toward human keratinocytes (HaCaT) and human lung fibroblasts (MRC-5) cells. The morphology and elemental composition of the coatings were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Antiviral performance was quantified by a neutral red uptake cytopathic (NRU-CPE) infectivity assay following 30 and 60 min of virus–surface contact. Coatings functionalized with nAg supported on SiO2 reduced infectious virus recovery by 2.2–5.3 log10, whereas coatings containing Ag-substituted zirconium phosphate achieved reductions of 1.9–4.7 log10, depending on additive loading and exposure time. Interestingly, the unmodified black organic coating also reduced viral infectivity, indicating that both the coating matrix and Ag-based functionalization contribute to the overall antiviral performance. Importantly, all functionalized coatings maintained cell viability above the ISO 10993-5 acceptance threshold (≥70%), demonstrating excellent cytocompatibility.
SN - 1422-0067
ER -