社会問題である高病原性鳥インフルエンザウイルスへの 新たなる対策～光触媒で高病原性鳥インフルエンザウイルスの不活化に成功～

2026-02-06 東京大学

光触媒によるインフルエンザウイルスの不活化

<関連情報>

• https://www.a.u-tokyo.ac.jp/topics/topics_20260206-1.html
• https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/16/2/168

TiO2光触媒は、多重抗ウイルス効果により、高病原性鳥インフルエンザウイルスとH1N1季節性インフルエンザウイルスを不活化します TiO2 Photocatalyst Inactivates Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus and H1N1 Seasonal Influenza Virus via Multi-Antiviral Effects

Ryosuke Matsuura, Akatsuki Saito, Fumihiro Nagata, Noriko Fukushi, Yasunobu Matsumoto, Takashi Fukushima, Kazuhiro Fujimoto, Masato Kozaki, Junichi Somei and Yoko Aida
Catalysis  Published:  4 February 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.3390/catal16020168

Abstract

The highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) is widely distributed worldwide and causes significant economic losses. Transmission of HPAIV occurs through direct contact between infected and susceptible birds or indirectly via contaminated materials. In recent years, airborne transmission of HPAIV has also been reported, underscoring the need for novel approaches to effectively inactivate airborne HPAIV. Photocatalysts have attracted significant attention as potential antiviral agents. In this study, we demonstrated that a TiO₂-mediated photocatalytic reaction inactivated HPAIV and H1N1 seasonal influenza viruses in liquid, reducing their infectivity by 90.7% and 94.4%, respectively, after 60 min. Mechanistic analyses revealed decreased virion size and surface structure disruption, as determined by transmission electron microscopy. Additional evidence of viral protein and genome damage was obtained using Western blotting and RT-qPCR, respectively. Given the broad antiviral activity of photocatalysts, these findings suggest that they can inactivate influenza viruses regardless of strain or subtype. Notably, photocatalysts inactivated 80% of aerosolized H1N1 seasonal influenza viruses within 5 min. These results provide strong evidence that photocatalysts are capable of inactivating airborne influenza viruses. This study represents the first demonstration that photocatalysts can inactivate HPAIV and aerosolized influenza viruses. These findings provide strong evidence that photocatalysts represent a promising countermeasure against HPAIV, with potential applicability across different strains and subtypes.