Graphene Quantum Dots based systems as HIV Inhibitors

Graphene quantum dots (GQD) are the next generation of carbon-based nanomaterials with great potential in drug delivery and target-specific HIV inhibition. These nanomaterials have shown to be less toxic and more hydrophobic with respect to graphene and are endowed of stable strong fluorescence, thus allowing the efficient tracking of human cells in vitro. We investigated the antiviral activity of graphene-based nanomaterials, by using water soluble GQD synthesized by acidic oxidation and exfoliation of MWCNT and compared their anti-HIV activity with that exerted by reverse transcriptase inhibitors (RTI) conjugated with the same nanomaterial (Fig. 1). The antiretroviral agents chosen in this study CHI499 and CDF119 belong to a series of active non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI).3 From this study emerged the RTI conjugated compounds as good candidate for HIV treatment. The target of action in the replicative cycle of HIV of the drug-conjugated samples GQD-CHI499 and GQD-CDF119 was also investigated by a time of addiction (TOA) method, showing for both conjugated samples a similar mechanism of action to that exerted by RTI drugs.