As virus outbreaks continue to pose a challenge, a nonspecific viral inhibitor can provide significant benefits, especially against respiratory viruses. Polyglycerol sulfates recently emerge as promising agents that mediate interactions between cells and viruses through electrostatics, leading to virus inhibition. Similarly, hydrophobic C60 fullerene can prevent virus infection via interactions with hydrophobic cavities of surface proteins. Here, two strategies are combined to inhibit infection of SARS‐CoV‐2 variants in vitro. Effective inhibitory concentrations in the millimolar range highlight the significance of bare fullerene's hydrophobic moiety and electrostatic interactions of polysulfates with surface proteins of SARS‐CoV‐2. Furthermore, microscale thermophoresis measurements support that fullerene linear polyglycerol sulfates interact with the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus via its spike protein, and highlight importance of electrostatic interactions within it. All‐atom molecular dynamics simulations reveal that the fullerene binding site is situated close to the receptor binding domain, within 4 nm of polyglycerol sulfate binding sites, feasibly allowing both portions of the material to interact simultaneously.

2201245 (2 of 8) www.advmatinterfaces.de Figure 5. a) DOX loading capacity on BP-PG and pure PG. b) Photothermal testing of BP and BP-PG in water over 500 s using a fiber-optic laser (808 nm, 1 W cm −2 ). c) In vitro DOX release from BP-PG@DOX with and without NIR irradiation in PBS. All data represents mean ± SD (n = 3).

Here, we report a one-pot, straightforward, and efficient method for the covalent functionalization of black phosphorous (BP) nanosheets with biopolymers on a gram scale. l-lactide and glycidol monomers were stepwise copolymerized onto the surface of exfoliated BP resulting in highly water-soluble functional nanosheets (BP-PLA-PG). In contrast to pristine BP, their functionalized counterparts did not degrade under ambient conditions and were stable for several weeks. Owing to their stability, efficient photothermal effect, and low toxicity, BP-PLA-PG sheets were loaded with doxorubicin (DOX), and their anticancer effect was investigated in vitro and in vivo. The laser-triggered release of DOX, in combination with the photothermal effect of the functionalized BP sheets, manifested in strong antitumor effects in animal studies. One-pot straightforward functionalization, high loading capacity, low toxicity, excellent water dispersibility and stability, as well as high functionality, support BP-PLA-PG as a promising vector for the future biomedical applications, including targeted drug delivery and bioimaging.

Inhibition of SARS‐CoV‐2 Variants In the article number 2206154, Ievgen S. Donskyi and co‐workers describe effective SARS‐CoV‐2 inhibitor. Low molecular weight polyglycerol sulfate works in tandem with a single hydrophobic fullerene to prevent the infection in vitro. Investigated through plaque reduction assays, microscale thermophoresis (MST) binding studies, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, fullerene appears to nestle in to a solvent accessible hydrophobic pocket on the S1 spike protein.