Photo-catalyzed TiO(2) inactivates pathogenic viruses by attacking viral genome

Previous observations have been reported that viruses were inactivated using strong irradiation. Here, new evidence was disclosed by studying the effects of nanosized TiO(2) on viral pathogens under a low irradiation condition (0.4 mW/cm(2) at UVA band) that mimics the field setting. We showed that photo-activated TiO(2) efficiently inhibits hepatitis C virus infection, and weak indoor light with intensity of 0.6 mW/cm(2) at broad-spectrum wavelength and around 0.15 mW/cm(2) of UVA band also lead to partial inhibition. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that hydroxyl radicals produced by photo-activated TiO(2) do not destroy virion structure and contents, but attack viral RNA genome, thus inactivating the virus. Furthermore, we showed that photo-activated TiO(2) inactivates a broad range of human viral pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2, a novel coronavirus responsible for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In conclusion, we showed that photo-catalyzed nanosized TiO(2) inactivates pathogenic viruses, paving a way to its field application in control of viral infectious diseases.