Nanoparticle-Mediated Antiviral Strategies for Pandemic Preparedness: Mechanisms, Applications, and Future Perspectives

The recurrent emergence of viral outbreaks, including SARS-CoV-2, influenza, Ebola, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), continues to expose critical limitations in conventional antiviral therapies, particularly in terms of targeting specificity, bioavailability, and resistance development. Nanotechnology has emerged as a transformative approach to overcome these challenges. This review provides a comprehensive and critical analysis of nanoparticle-based antiviral systems, including lipid-based, polymeric, inorganic, and hybrid nanocarriers, with a focus on their roles in enhancing drug delivery, targeting precision, and therapeutic efficacy. These platforms exert antiviral effects through multiple coordinated mechanisms, including inhibition of viral entry, suppression of replication, gene silencing, and modulation of host immune responses. The clinical success of lipid nanoparticle-based mRNA vaccines highlights the translational potential of nanotechnology, while emerging nanotherapeutic strategies demonstrate increasing versatility across diverse viral pathogens. However, key challenges—including safety, scalability, formulation stability, and regulatory constraints—continue to limit widespread clinical implementation. Overall, nanoparticle-mediated antiviral systems represent a multifunctional and adaptable platform capable of addressing the limitations of conventional therapies and enabling more effective, resilient, and precision-driven strategies for future pandemic preparedness.