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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which causes severe acute respiratory syndrome and lung failure, is caused by the novel coronavirus, also known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Due to high transmission rates from individual to individual, it has progressed to a pandemic. However, indirect transmission from inanimate objects or surfaces that have come in contact with a patient poses an even more significant threat as it is difficult to trace the source of infection in these cases. Therefore, these surfaces and objects require disinfection with chemicals having potent viricidal activity. These include alcohols, aldehydes, quaternary ammonium compounds, chlorhexidine, and chlorine-based disinfectants, among others. They vary in their viricidal activity depending on their structure, concentrations, and mechanism of action. Several studies have looked into these agents and the transmission of the virus related to it. Moreover, certain viricides, if used as constituents of commercially available oral disinfectants, can further aid in preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia and maintain oral hygiene. However, these chemicals are not entirely free of potential hazards. In this review, we have compiled and critically appraised some commonly used viricidal agents in healthcare settings and the role they can play in the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 is characterized by the elevation of a broad spectrum of inflammatory mediators associated with poor disease outcomes. We aimed at an in-silico analysis of regulatory microRNA and their transcription factors (TF) for these inflammatory genes that may help to devise potential therapeutic strategies in the future. Methods The cytokine regulating immune-expressed genes (CRIEG) were sorted from literature and the GEO microarray dataset. Their co-differentially expressed miRNA and transcription factors were predicted from publicly available databases. Enrichment analysis was done through mienturnet, MiEAA, Gene Ontology, and pathways predicted by KEGG and Reactome pathways. Finally, the functional and regulatory features were analyzed and visualized through Cytoscape. Results Sixteen CRIEG were observed to have a significant protein-protein interaction network. The ontological analysis revealed significantly enriched pathways for biological processes, molecular functions, and cellular components. The search performed in the miRNA database yielded ten miRNAs that are significantly involved in regulating these genes and their transcription factors. Conclusion An in-silico representation of a network involving miRNAs, CRIEGs, and TF, which take part in the inflammatory response in COVID-19, has been elucidated. Thus, these regulatory factors may have potentially critical roles in the inflammatory response in COVID-19 and may be explored further to develop targeted therapeutic strategies and mechanistic validation.