Will Gold Nano-particles beat Corona?

Will Gold Nano-particles beat Corona?

Thousands of years ago, gold was extracted from the Earth to be used in the formulation of jewellery and money minting, but at the present time gold has been used in many scientific fields no less important than the previous areas, the most important of which is medicine and technology.

Gold is considered an inert element that does not interact with other molecules as oxygen. In this way, it maintains its shine and appearance. Also, it will be a good carrier of the molecules. According to the recent studies conducted by scientists of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have revealed that the gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) become more exciting and their surface properties can be changed easily based on their usage. The drug particles are connected to (Au NPs) by sulfur atoms. (Au NPs) transfer the drug to the infected cells in the body. They contain a large number of free electrons, these electrons vibrate when exposed to light at a specific wavelength, and this process is called (Surface Plasmon Resonance reaction). According to this process, nanoparticles can kill diseased cells by the heat generated due to the oscillation of electrons. Also, the sensors are attached to the nanoparticle to kill the infected cells only. When the infrared radiation is applied onto the infected body, the electrons oscillate to produce an adequate heat that is sufficient to kill the infected cells.

On the other hand, experiments have shown that the tiny nanoparticles (Au NPs) selectively act on the protein (S) present in the coronavirus. When Au NPs are exposed to biological fluids, proteins and other biomolecules are easily absorbed by the surface to form a protein (Corona) around (Au NPs), which reduces the surface energy of the particles. Corona will change the structure of proteins and may also remove their physiological functions, which leads to the loss of their original targeting capabilities, and consequently to the death of the virus. This mechanism succeeded when it was tested on (The Middle East respiratory syndrome), and that success opens a wide and promising section in the face of developments in this viral strain, including COVID-19.