Abstract
Solid core nanoparticles (NPs) coated with sulfonated ligands that mimic heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) can exhibit virucidal activity against many viruses that utilize HSPG interactions with host cells for the initial stages of infection. How the interactions of these NPs with large capsid segments of HSPG-interacting viruses lead to their virucidal activity has been unclear. Here, we describe the interactions between sulfonated NPs and segments of the human papilloma virus type 16 (HPV16) capsids using atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. The simulations demonstrate that the NPs primarily bind at the interfaces of two HPV16 capsid proteins. After equilibration, the distances and angles between capsid proteins in the capsid segments are larger for the systems in which the NPs bind at the interfaces of capsid proteins. Over time, NP binding can lead to breaking of contacts between two neighboring proteins. The revealed mechanism of NPs targeting the interfaces between pairs of capsid proteins can be utilized for designing new generations of virucidal materials and contribute to the development of new broad-spectrum non-toxic virucidal materials.