Studying the Relationship between the Antiviral Activity and the Structure of ἰ-Carrageenan Using Ultrasonication
ἰ-carrageenan is a linear macroalgal polysaccharide that is well known for its antiviral bioactivity. Although it is considered a candidate for antiviral therapeutics, its application is highly limited due to its low solubility and high viscosity, which lower its adsorption efficiency. With the aim...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-09-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/18/14200 |
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| author | Oshrat Levy-Ontman Eiman Abu-Galiyun Mahmoud Huleihel |
| author_facet | Oshrat Levy-Ontman Eiman Abu-Galiyun Mahmoud Huleihel |
| author_sort | Oshrat Levy-Ontman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ἰ-carrageenan is a linear macroalgal polysaccharide that is well known for its antiviral bioactivity. Although it is considered a candidate for antiviral therapeutics, its application is highly limited due to its low solubility and high viscosity, which lower its adsorption efficiency. With the aim of deriving an active ἰ-carrageenan fragment with an improved adsorption capacity, we studied the effects of ultrasonication on structural changes in ἰ-carrageenan with respect to changes in its bioactivity against herpesviruses. An FTIR analysis revealed that ultrasonication increased the hydrophilicity of ἰ-carrageenan without changing its functional groups, and a rheological analysis demonstrated that it gradually decreased the strength of the polysaccharide gel, which completely lost its gel structure and formed small nanoparticles after 30 min of ultrasonication. Concomitantly with these physicochemical changes, a plaque assay revealed that longer ultrasonication increased the antiviral activity of ἰ-carrageenan against two herpesviruses, namely, HSV-1 and VZV. Finally, we separated the 30-min ultrasonicated ἰ-carrageenan into four fractions and found that fractions with a lower molecular weight were significantly less active against both herpesviruses than those with a higher molecular weight. Our findings show that ultrasonication induces physicochemical changes in ἰ-carrageenan that increase its antiviral bioactivity. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T22:39:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-52ef3fe46256419a91aba37906c7aeba |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T22:39:07Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-52ef3fe46256419a91aba37906c7aeba2023-11-19T11:09:18ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences1661-65961422-00672023-09-0124181420010.3390/ijms241814200Studying the Relationship between the Antiviral Activity and the Structure of ἰ-Carrageenan Using UltrasonicationOshrat Levy-Ontman0Eiman Abu-Galiyun1Mahmoud Huleihel2Department of Chemical and Green Engineering, Shamoon College of Engineering, Beer-Sheva 8410802, IsraelDepartment of Chemical and Green Engineering, Shamoon College of Engineering, Beer-Sheva 8410802, IsraelDepartment of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israelἰ-carrageenan is a linear macroalgal polysaccharide that is well known for its antiviral bioactivity. Although it is considered a candidate for antiviral therapeutics, its application is highly limited due to its low solubility and high viscosity, which lower its adsorption efficiency. With the aim of deriving an active ἰ-carrageenan fragment with an improved adsorption capacity, we studied the effects of ultrasonication on structural changes in ἰ-carrageenan with respect to changes in its bioactivity against herpesviruses. An FTIR analysis revealed that ultrasonication increased the hydrophilicity of ἰ-carrageenan without changing its functional groups, and a rheological analysis demonstrated that it gradually decreased the strength of the polysaccharide gel, which completely lost its gel structure and formed small nanoparticles after 30 min of ultrasonication. Concomitantly with these physicochemical changes, a plaque assay revealed that longer ultrasonication increased the antiviral activity of ἰ-carrageenan against two herpesviruses, namely, HSV-1 and VZV. Finally, we separated the 30-min ultrasonicated ἰ-carrageenan into four fractions and found that fractions with a lower molecular weight were significantly less active against both herpesviruses than those with a higher molecular weight. Our findings show that ultrasonication induces physicochemical changes in ἰ-carrageenan that increase its antiviral bioactivity.https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/18/14200antiviralcarrageenanherpesvirusphysicochemicalultrasonication |
| spellingShingle | Oshrat Levy-Ontman Eiman Abu-Galiyun Mahmoud Huleihel Studying the Relationship between the Antiviral Activity and the Structure of ἰ-Carrageenan Using Ultrasonication International Journal of Molecular Sciences antiviral carrageenan herpesvirus physicochemical ultrasonication |
| title | Studying the Relationship between the Antiviral Activity and the Structure of ἰ-Carrageenan Using Ultrasonication |
| title_full | Studying the Relationship between the Antiviral Activity and the Structure of ἰ-Carrageenan Using Ultrasonication |
| title_fullStr | Studying the Relationship between the Antiviral Activity and the Structure of ἰ-Carrageenan Using Ultrasonication |
| title_full_unstemmed | Studying the Relationship between the Antiviral Activity and the Structure of ἰ-Carrageenan Using Ultrasonication |
| title_short | Studying the Relationship between the Antiviral Activity and the Structure of ἰ-Carrageenan Using Ultrasonication |
| title_sort | studying the relationship between the antiviral activity and the structure of ἰ carrageenan using ultrasonication |
| topic | antiviral carrageenan herpesvirus physicochemical ultrasonication |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/18/14200 |
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