Mode of action of the zinc oxide tetrapods

A densely branched network

At less than 200 nanometers, herpes viruses are too small to be detected by the “scavenger cells” of the immune system – they disappear under the radar, so to speak. Normally, the immune system can only fight them when they have spread in the body and have already formed blisters.

Our solution: a densely branched network of four-armed particles, the so-called tetrapods. Their shape gives the material unusual properties.

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“In our approach, we give the body immune system “glasses”, so to speak, so that it recognizes and eliminates the herpes viruses at the early stage”

Rainer Adelung, Professor of functional nanomaterials

The role of tetrapodal zinc oxide

At first glance, the soft white material looks like absorbent cotton. Its special structure only becomes visible under a high-resolution microscope: a densely branched network of four-armed particles, known as tetrapods. Their shape can bind herpes viruses and thus make them visible to the immune system. The antiviral effect can be further enhanced by the targeted induction of oxygen defects on the surface of the tetrapods.

The Microbivac® concept

The promising Microbivac concept is based on complex zinc oxide structures known as tetrapods. These 3D-structures are produced particularly gently using flame transport synthesis, without the use of additional chemicals. This makes them interesting for biomedical applications.

The zinc-oxide tetrapods have a broad therapeutic window compared to other medically used metal oxides. At the same time, their special physical and chemical characteristics enable antiviral treatment and can have a supportive effect on the immune system.

Besides their antiviral characteristics, the zinc oxide-tetrapods also show great potential to improve the immune response of cells around lesions and thus enable faster wound healing.

Special features

Wound protection through film formation

“Normal” spherical zinc oxide is a white, amorphous powder, while tetrapodal zinc oxide has semi-crystalline, cotton-wool-like structure.

The tetrapodal zinc oxide has so-called oxygen defects due to the crystal growth we have carried out under special conditions and is therefore a positively charged microparticle.

As a result, particles such as viruses with a neutral or negatively charged surface physically “stick” to its surface. This has been proven for the herpes virus in particular (see illustration, right).

Influence on the immune system

Support of the immune response

Furthermore, the treatment of tetrapodal ZnO is thought to have a positive influence on the immune system. Studies that are done on the herpes virus have shown that ZnO tetrapods may provide a platform for antigen presentation and can support the body’s own cell-mediated and humoral immune response as a kind of adjuvant.

Positive effect

on images of memory T cells

There has been found evidence that tetrapodal ZnO stimulates the T cell-mediated immune response and has a positive effect on the formation of the corresponding memory T cells. Reinfection could be reduced, which is an important property, particularly for the herpes virus.