Impact of Nonthermal Plasma on Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV): Mechanisms of Viral Inactivation and Replication Inhibition

초록

Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) causes severe respiratory infections, especially in young children, the elderly, and the immunocompromised. Despite its clinical application, effective therapeutic opportunities for HMPV are limited. Currently, no vaccines or specific antiviral therapies are available to prevent or treat HMPV infections, highlighting the necessity to explore and discuss all possible treatment and prevention opportunities. Recently, nonthermal atmospheric pressure plasma (NAPP) has appeared as a promising technology for virus inactivation and inhibition of viral replication. This review discusses how NAPP can possibly inhibit HMPV at several stages of its lifecycle, including viral entry, replication, and host immune modulation, for the first time. While NAPP has shown efficacy against respiratory viruses such as influenza and SARS-CoV-2, its antiviral mechanisms for HMPV are extrapolated from these studies, as direct experimental evidence for HMPV inactivation is currently lacking. NAPP produces reactive nitrogen and oxygen species, UV radiation, and charged particles that damage HMPV surface proteins, hindering viral entry. It also causes oxidative stress that damages viral RNA and host cell machinery, impairing replication and protein synthesis. Additionally, the plasma-treated liquid (PTL) activates the hosts' immune responses for virus clearance. The NAPP technology is an economically affordable and environmentally safe approach and could be useful in combating infectious diseases such as HMPV and its variants. This paper reviews the potential of NAPP as a novel approach to combat HMPV infections, highlighting the need for further research to confirm its efficacy and optimize its application for respiratory viral infections.

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