Therapeutic options for the highly pathogenic human severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causing the current pandemic coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are urgently needed. COVID-19 is associated with viral pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome causing significant morbidity and mortality. The proposed treatments for COVID-19 have shown little or no effect in the clinic so far. Additionally, bacterial and fungal pathogens contribute to the SARS-CoV-2-mediated pneumonia disease complex. The antibiotic resistance in pneumonia treatment is increasing at an alarming rate. Therefore, carbon-based nanomaterials (CBNs), such as fullerene, carbon dots, graphene, and their derivatives constitute a promising alternative due to their wide-spectrum antimicrobial activity, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and capacity to induce tissue regeneration. Furthermore, the antimicrobial mode of action is mainly physical ( e.g. , membrane distortion), characterized by a low risk of antimicrobial resistance. In this Review, we evaluated the literature on the antiviral activity and broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties of CBNs. CBNs had antiviral activity against 13 enveloped positive-sense single-stranded RNA viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. CBNs with low or no toxicity to humans are promising therapeutics against the COVID-19 pneumonia complex with other viruses, bacteria, and fungi, including those that are multidrug-resistant.

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has stressed the importance of the use of personal protective of personal protective equipment (PPE). In the present time, face masks, as representative example of PPE, demonstrated useful significant contribution in COVID-19 pandemic management effectively. However, these commonly used face masks are made of materials without inactivation properties against either SARS-CoV-2 or multidrugresistant bacteria. Therefore, symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals can infect other people even if they wear them since some viable microbial loads can escape from the masks. Furthermore, microbial contact transmission can occur by touching the mask, and they are an increasing source of contaminated biological waste. In this regard, during the current pandemic, many researchers have been working on the development of face masks made of advanced materials with intrinsic antimicrobial properties to avoid these problems, and thus provide extra protection against pathogens. In this dazzling race against COVID-19, this review presents the types of commercialized face mask, their main fabrication methods and treatments, and the progress achieved in the development of smart antimicrobial face masks.

Face masks have globally been accepted to be an effective protective tool to prevent bacterial and viral transmission, especially against indoor aerosol transmission. However, commercial face masks contain filters that are made of materials that are not capable of inactivating either SARS-CoV-2 or multidrug-resistant bacteria. Therefore, symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals can infect other people even if they wear them because some viable viral or bacterial loads can escape from the masks. Furthermore, viral or bacterial contact transmission can occur after touching the mask, which constitutes an increasing source of contaminated biological waste. Additionally, bacterial pathogens contribute to the SARS-CoV-2-mediated pneumonia disease complex, and their resistance to antibiotics in pneumonia treatment is increasing at an alarming rate. In this regard, herein, we report the development of a non-woven face mask filter fabricated with a biofunctional coating of benzalkonium chloride that is capable of inactivating more than 99% of SARS-CoV-2 particles in one minute of contact, and the life-threatening methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis (normalized antibacterial halos of 0.52 ± 0.04 and 0.72 ± 0.04, respectively). Nonetheless, despite the results obtained, further studies are needed to ensure the safety and correct use of this technology for the mass production and commercialization of this broad-spectrum antimicrobial face mask filter. Our novel protective non-woven face mask filter would be useful for many healthcare workers and researchers working in this urgent and challenging field.

The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic is demanding the rapid action of the authorities and scientific community in order to find new antimicrobial solutions that could inactivate the pathogen SARS-CoV-2 that causes this disease. Gram-positive bacteria contribute to severe pneumonia associated with COVID-19, and their resistance to antibiotics is exponentially increasing. In this regard, non-woven fabrics are currently used for the fabrication of infection prevention clothing such as face masks, caps, scrubs, shirts, trousers, disposable gowns, overalls, hoods, aprons and shoe covers as protective tools against viral and bacterial infections. However, these non-woven fabrics are made of materials that do not exhibit intrinsic antimicrobial activity. Thus, we have here developed non-woven fabrics with antimicrobial coatings of cranberry extracts capable of inactivating enveloped viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 and the bacteriophage phi 6 (about 99% of viral inactivation in 1 min of viral contact), and two multidrug-resistant bacteria: the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis. The morphology, thermal and mechanical properties of the produced filters were characterized by optical and electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetry and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. The non-toxicity of these advanced technologies was ensured using a Caenorhabditis elegans in vivo model. These results open up a new prevention path using natural and biodegradable compounds for the fabrication of infection prevention clothing in the current COVID-19 pandemic and microbial resistant era.

Infection prevention clothing is becoming an essential protective tool in the current pandemic, especially because now we know that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can easily infect humans in poorly ventilated indoor spaces. However, commercial infection prevention clothing is made of fabrics that are not capable of inactivating the virus. Therefore, viral infections of symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals wearing protective clothing such as masks can occur through aerosol transmission or by contact with the contaminated surfaces of the masks, which are suspected as an increasing source of highly infectious biological waste. Herein, we report an easy fabrication method of a novel antiviral non-woven fabric containing polymer filaments that were coated with solidified hand soap. This extra protective fabric is capable of inactivating enveloped viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 and phage Φ6 within 1 min of contact. In this study, this antiviral fabric was used to fabricate an antiviral face mask and did not show any cytotoxic effect in human keratinocyte HaCaT cells. Furthermore, this antiviral non-woven fabric could be used for the fabrication of other infection prevention clothing such as caps, scrubs, shirts, trousers, disposable gowns, overalls, hoods, aprons, and shoe covers. Therefore, this low-cost technology could provide a wide range of infection-protective tools to combat COVID-19 and future pandemics in developed and underdeveloped countries.