Pre-Treatment with Zirconia Nanoparticles Reduces Inflammation Induced by the Pathogenic H5N1 Influenza Virus

Huo, Caiyun; Xiao, Jin; Xiao, Kai; Zou, Shumei; Wang, Ming; Qi, Peng; Liu, Tianlong; Hu, Yanxin

To explore whether the effect of NPs against H5N1 infection was dose-dependent, an experiment was performed using ZrO 2 , SNs, and PS at different dosages. We found that NPs could dramatically increase the survival rate and reduce the average body weight of mice within a narrower range compared to the glucose group. The survival rates of mice in the 25 mg/kg ZrO 2 , 50 mg/kg ZrO 2 , and 100 mg/kg ZrO 2 groups were 100%, 85.7%, and 100%, which were all significantly higher than that in the glucose group (42.9%). Although the survival rates showed modest differences among dosages of NPs, the range of weight loss was reduced with increasing dosage ( Figure 2C and Figure S1C ). Together, these results suggest that 200 nm positively-charged ZrO 2 at a dosage of 100 mg/kg could improve the survival of H5N1-infected mice.