Carbon dots as inhibitors of virus by activation of type I interferon response

Carbon dots (CDs) has shown exciting potential in the field of bioscience and biotechnology due to their low toxicity, biological and ecological friendliness and desirable performance characteristics of quantum dots (QDs). However, the effects of CDs on viruses are still largely unknown. In this study, we investigate the effect of CDs on the replication of virus by using pseudorabies virus (PRV) and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) as the models of DNA virus and RNA virus, respectively. Analyses of virus titers and the expression of viral proteins demonstrate that cells treated with CDs can significantly inhibit the multiplication of PRV and PRRSV. In mechanism, CDs treatment dramatically induces interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) production and the expression of IFN-stimulating genes (ISGs) which in turn inhibits virus replication. Taken together, these results reveal a previously undefined role of CDs and provide a new strategy to develop antiviral agents. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.