Fig. 6: The anti-SARS-CoV-2 capacity of the CIPS ânano-glueâ.
The proposed mechanisms by which CIPS can promote SARS-CoV-2 elimination are depicted. CIPS can strongly interact with the viral S-protein RBD and cause its deformation. Amino acid residues at the ACE2âRBD binding site (i) and those for CIPSâRBD binding (ii) largely overlap (iii, blue residues, highlighted with an asterisk). Strong binding to CIPS prevents interaction of the viral RBD with ACE2 on host cells and the consequent virus infectivity. Further, CIPS-trapped SARS-CoV-2 can be efficiently phagocytosed by macrophages, leading to virus degradation in phagolysosomes with the possible generation of viral peptides, which, together with the concomitant upregulation of antigen-presenting molecules on macrophages, is the basis for the initiation of virus-specific adaptive immunity.
