Benzoxazine monomer derived carbon dots as a broad-spectrum agent to block viral infectivity

[Display omitted] Multiple viruses can cause infection and death of millions annually. Of these, flaviviruses are found to be highly prevalent in recent years with no distinctive antiviral therapies. Therefore, there is a desperate need for broad-spectrum antiviral drugs that can be active against a large number of existing and emerging viruses. Herein, we prepared a kind of benzoxazine monomer derived carbon dots (BZM-CDs) and demonstrated their infection-blocking ability against life-threatening flaviviruses (Japanese encephalitis, Zika, and dengue viruses) and non-enveloped viruses (porcine parvovirus and adenovirus-associated virus). It was found that BZM-CDs could directly bind to the surface of the virion, and eventually the first step of virus-cell interaction was impeded. The developed nanoparticles are active against both flaviviruses and non-enveloped viruses in vitro. Thus, the application of BZM-CDs may constitute an intriguing broad-spectrum approach to rein in viral infections.