Metal Nanoparticles: a Promising Treatment for Viral and Arboviral Infections

Globally, viral diseases continue to pose a significant threat to public health. Recent outbreaks, such as influenza, coronavirus, Ebola, and dengue, have emphasized the urgent need for new antiviral therapeutics. Considerable efforts have focused on developing metal nanoparticles for the treatment of several pathogenic viruses. As a result of these efforts, metal nanoparticles are demonstrating promising antiviral activity against pathogenic surrogates and clinical isolates. This review summarizes the application of metal nanoparticles for the treatment of viral infections. It provides information on synthesis methods, size-related properties, nano-bio-interaction, and immunological effects of metal nanoparticles. This article also addresses critical criteria and considerations for developing clinically translatable nanosized metal particles to treat viral diseases.