Inactivated viral preparations are important resources in vaccine and antisera industry. Of the many vaccines that are being developed against COVID-19, inactivated whole-virus vaccines are also considered effective. β-propiolactone (BPL) is a widely used chemical inactivator of several viruses. Here, we analyze various concentrations of BPL to effectively inactivate SARS-CoV-2 and their effects on the biochemical properties of the virion particles. BPL at 1:2000 (v/v) concentrations effectively inactivated SARS-CoV-2. However, higher BPL concentrations resulted in the loss of both protein content as well as the antigenic integrity of the structural proteins. Higher concentrations also caused substantial aggregation of the virion particles possibly resulting in insufficient inactivation, and a loss in antigenic potential. We also identify that the viral RNA content in the culture supernatants can be a direct indicator of their antigenic content. Our findings may have important implications in the vaccine and antisera industry during COVID-19 pandemic.

灭活病毒制剂是疫苗和抗血清行业的重要资源。在针对 COVID-19 开发的许多疫苗中，灭活的全病毒疫苗也被认为是有效的。β-丙内酯 (BPL) 是一种广泛使用的多种病毒化学灭活剂。在这里，我们分析了各种浓度的 BPL 以有效灭活 SARS-CoV-2 及其对病毒粒子生化特性的影响。浓度为 1:2000 (v/v) 的 BPL 可有效灭活 SARS-CoV-2。然而，较高的 BPL 浓度导致蛋白质含量以及结构蛋白的抗原完整性的损失。较高的浓度还会导致病毒颗粒大量聚集，可能导致灭活不充分和抗原潜力的丧失。我们还发现培养上清液中的病毒 RNA 含量可以直接指示其抗原含量。我们的研究结果可能对 COVID-19 大流行期间的疫苗和抗血清行业产生重要影响。