Nanotechnology-Driven Strategy Against Viral Infections

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Viral Immunology, Vaccines, and Antivirals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 859

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Departamento de Fármacos e Medicamentos, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Cidade Universitária, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil
Interests: viruses; nanotechnology; drug delivery; nanoparticles; nanoemulsions; liposomes; neglected diseases; cancer treatment
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Viral infections continue to pose global health challenges, as evidenced by pandemics such as HIV, HPV, herpes, influenza, respiratory viruses and COVID-19. Traditional therapies using classical antiviral drugs often face limitations including resistance, poor targeting, and systemic toxicity. Nanotechnology offers innovative solutions for preventing, diagnosing, and treating viral diseases, predominately through drug delivery using nanocarriers such as nanoparticles (polymeric, lipid, metallic, ceramic, mesoporous silica, and composite), liposomes, nanoemulsions, dendrimers, and quantum dots. In addition to classic antiviral delivery systems, other therapies are available, such as gene silencing strategies, immunomodulation, nanovaccines, photodynamic therapy, and combination therapies. Nanocarriers are capable of transporting and sustaining the release of classical antivirals, improving the bioavailability of active compounds and reducing adverse effects. Other active compounds can be encapsulated in nanocarriers, such as vaccine antigens, interfering RNA (siRNA), and photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy. Metallic nanoparticles of copper, silver, zinc oxide, and gold can additionally be used to combat viruses. Furthermore, nanocarriers can be administered topically for the treatment of skin and mucosal viruses or into the bloodstream to induce systemic effects. Nanotechnology is revolutionizing the development of antiviral strategies for therapy, diagnosis, and prevention. Some challenges, however, still prevail, particularly in scaling up production; sufficient quantities of nanomaterials, following the Good Practices guidelines established by regulatory agencies, are needed to support clinical studies.

Prof. Dr. Eduardo Ricci-Júnior
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • nanocarriers
  • antivirals
  • drug delivery
  • nanoparticles
  • liposomes
  • dendrimers
  • vaccines
  • SiRNA
  • photodynamic therapy
  • immunomodulation

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

42 pages, 807 KB  
Review
Advances in Nanotechnology for the Treatment of Herpes Virus Infections
by Yohan Oliveira de Carvalho, Bruna Coelho de Almeida, Gabriela Lopes Gama e Silva, Tatielle do Nascimento, Mariana Sato de Souza Bustamante Monteiro and Eduardo Ricci-Junior
Viruses 2026, 18(3), 351; https://doi.org/10.3390/v18030351 - 13 Mar 2026
Viewed by 581
Abstract
Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections present a major global health burden due to their high morbidity. Conventional therapies offer limited efficacy due to poor bioavailability, the need for frequent administration and potential drug resistance. Recent advances in nanotechnology provide opportunities to overcome these [...] Read more.
Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections present a major global health burden due to their high morbidity. Conventional therapies offer limited efficacy due to poor bioavailability, the need for frequent administration and potential drug resistance. Recent advances in nanotechnology provide opportunities to overcome these limitations. This review summarizes the latest advances in nanocarrier-based formulations, highlighting their role in improving bioavailability, sustained release, mucosal penetration and antiviral activity. An integrative search was conducted from January 2010 to December 2025. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were used to select the articles. After analyzing the articles, 34 were included in this review with in vitro studies and 14 with in vivo assays. These articles were evaluated in relation to physicochemical characterization studies and in vitro and in vivo assays. Studies were found involving polymeric nanoparticles, metal nanoparticles, solid lipid nanoparticles, liposomes, niosomes, nanoemulsions and nanofibers. Regarding in vitro assays, it was observed that the nanosystems showed increased antiviral activity in cell cultures infected with the herpes simplex virus. In addition, developed nanosystems showed prolonged antiviral activity and lowered toxicity in animal models. Thus, these systems prove to be effective when compared to conventional therapy and can be considered an advance in HSV infection therapy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanotechnology-Driven Strategy Against Viral Infections)
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