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The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has spurred the urgent need for effective antiviral strategies. In this work, we explored the potential of oversulfated kappa-carrageenan (OSKC) in spray-coated facemasks for SARS-CoV-2 inhibition pathway. The sulfated derivative was synthesized with sulfur trioxide pyridine complex in dimethylformamide solution. The antiviral efficacy of OSKC at different concentrations and spray-coated facemasks was evaluated using betacoronavirus Murine Hepatitis Virus strain 3, revealing a significant reduction in viral load compared to commercial kappa-carrageenan. Furthermore, the characterization techniques assessed the effect of the position of the introduced sulfate groups on the antiviral activity and on the physicochemical characteristics. OSKC is able to bind specific proteins of enveloped viruses, preventing viral attachment into target cells. Overall, this study demonstrates the feasibility and effectiveness of OSKC spray coating for breathable facemasks with antimicrobial properties, offering a promising approach to enhancing personal protective equipment against viral transmission in healthcare and community settings., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Cationization is a promising chemical modification technique that improves properties by attaching permanent positive charges to the backbone of biopolymers. Carrageenan is a widely available and non-toxic polysaccharide, commonly used in food industry but with low solubility in cold water. We performed a central composite design experiment to check the parameters that most influence the degree of cationic substitution and the film solubility. Hydrophilic quaternary ammonium groups on the carrageenan backbone enhance interaction in drug delivery systems and create active surfaces. Statistical analysis indicated that within the studied range, only the molar ratio between the cationizing reagent and the repeating disaccharide unit of carrageenan had a significant effect. Optimized parameters using 0.086 g of sodium hydroxide and glycidyltrimethylammonium/disaccharide repeating unit of 6.83 achieved 65.47 % degree of substitution and 4.03 % solubility. Characterizations confirmed the effective incorporation of cationic groups into the commercial structure of carrageenan and thermal stability improvement of the derivatives., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)